This chapter reviews the clinical context and describes the functional-anatomic architecture of multiple memory systems including working memory (WM), declarative memory, and non-declarative memory. The anatomical substrates of memory include distributed networks of cortical and subcortical nuclei interconnected by white matter projection pathways. Memory impairments are comorbid with other cognitive and neurobehavioral problems. Disorders such as herpes encephalitis, which has a predilection for limbic and paralimbic cortical regions, may cause an amnestic syndrome associated with other neurobehavioral features, such as personality change and seizures. WM refers to the retention of information over brief intervals of time. Neuropsychological evidence suggests that there are two main types of dysexecutive syndrome, each reflecting dysfunction in the central executive system. One type involves marked perseveration, indicating decreased ability to disengage and shit attention, whereas the other is characterized by excessive distractibility, which reflects impairments in attentional inhibition.

This chapter provides a taxonomic overview of different forms of learning and memory at the behavioral and neural system levels. Long-term memory can be divided roughly into two categories, namely, declarative and non-declarative memory. Non-declarative memories encompass a wide range of phenomena from priming to skill learning. Some of the most basic forms of memory result from non-associative learning processes. Non-declarative priming memory is a form of memory that results from exposure to stimuli prior to a testing session. Damage to medial temporal structures including the hippocampus in human studies is associated with marked impairments in trace eyeblink conditioning. Many researchers have looked to the neocortex as the prime candidate for the permanent storage of declarative memories but there is limited evidence at this point to demonstrate this with certainty. Specificity of neocortical sites for memory storage and retrieval has been observed in imaging studies of healthy patients.