noun
hippocampus
hip-uh-KAM-puhs/ˌhɪpəˈkæmpəs/
a brain structure important for memory and spatial navigation
The hippocampus helps you remember places and find your way.
Etymology
The Greek “horse” and “sea monster” named a creature combining horse and fish features. The name also came to denote the seahorse, whose shape the brain structure was thought to resemble.
In context
he doesn't remember this because that the hippocampus and the memory areas in the brain are exquisitely sensitive to hypoxia and to trauma
More examples
- Damage to the hippocampus can make forming new memories difficult.
- The brain has a hippocampus on each side.
- Researchers study how the hippocampus maps familiar surroundings.
Forms
hippocampus · hippocampi · hippocampuses
hippocampal adjective — Relating to the brain's hippocampus.