Life / Neuroscience & Psychology

Patient H.M. and memory

After brain surgery in 1953 Henry Molaison could not form new memories, showing that the hippocampus is the gateway to memory.

To stop severe epilepsy, the surgeon William Scoville removed parts of both temporal lobes, including the hippocampus, from Henry Molaison in 1953. Brenda Milner studied him from 1955 and, with Scoville, reported in 1957 that he could no longer form lasting new memories yet could still learn motor skills. The case proved that memory is a distinct brain function with identifiable parts and with separate systems.