The nature of memory is one of the biggest mysteries of neuroscience. Memories are at the basis of who we are, and how the brain processes and consolidates them is the subject of work around the globe.
A recent study from Boston University’s Center for Systems Neuroscience has shown the power of smell in recalling memories, challenging a decades-old theory in the process.
The power of the hippocampus
The hippocampus — a small brain structure shaped like (and named after) a seahorse — is critical in the process of memory formation.