Memory Program

The richness and variety of the work arising from the Memory Program demonstrated how dynamic research on this topic remains, with continuing discoveries more than 60 years after the seminal report of the importance of the hippocampus in human memory.  Research in the Memory Program was articulated around three main aims: to develop models of human memory; to understand the brain bases of memory processing; and to translate research findings into real life applications. The first aim primarily involved investigations of memory in healthy and clinical populations across the lifespan, and also focused on understanding the interactions between memory and other cognitive processes, including emotion, language, or executive function. The second comprised investigations that use novel neuroimaging techniques, such as MRI, EEG and MEG to identify structural and functional brain organisations that are associated with relevant memory processes. Finally, the third focused on the translational aspects of our research (i.e., how can we use the findings arising from our research to real life situations). Here, we wanted to develop methods of learning, interventions, novel tests, and electronic applications that can improve the lives of individuals experiencing changes or difficulties with their memory. Researchers in this program tackled these aims through five main streams of research: paediatric, ageing, dementia, focal lesions and neuroimaging.

Selected Research Highlights