The Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory: An Introduction

by Howard Eichenbaum

This clear and accessible textbook introduces the brain's remarkable capacity for memory. The text was developed for undergraduate and beginning graduate students, but it will also be of use to cognitive scientists, biologists, and psychologists who seek an introduction to biological investigations of memory. Like the first edition, this fully-updated second edition begins with a history of memory research, starting with a "Golden Era" at the turn of the 20th century, and progressing to our current understanding of the neurobiology of memory. Subsequent sections of the book discuss the cellular basis of memory, amnesia in humans and animals, the physiology of memory, declarative, procedural, and emotional memory systems, memory consolidation, and the control of memory by the prefrontal cortex. The book is organized into four sections, which highlight the major themes of the text. The first theme is connection, which considers how memory is fundamentally based on alterations in the connectivity of neurons. This section of the book covers the most well studied models of cellular mechanisms of neural plasticity that may underlie memory. The second theme is cognition, which involves fundamental issues in the psychological structure of memory. This section of the book considers the competition among views on the nature of cognitive processes that underlie memory, and tells how the controversy was eventually resolved. The third theme is compartmentalization, which is akin to the classic problem of memory localization. However, unlike localization, the notion of "compartments" is intended to avoid the notion that particular memories are pigeon-holed into specific loci, and instead emphasize that different forms of memory are accomplished by distinct modules or brain systems. This section of the book surveys the evidence for multiple memory systems, and outlines how they are mediated by different brain structures and systems. The fourth and fina

Genres: Neuroscience, Psychology, Science, Textbooks

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two of the most interesting aspects of cognitive theory—especially from a viewpoint of psychoneural reduction—are attention and memory. Thereby, this book is a good introduction to the latter issue with a structured overview of various aspects of how our brains remember things and then pull those memories back up as needed (and, of course, sometimes when not needed). Well-written and easy-to-follow, this volume is geared towards the graduate student but is handy also for the researcher and could be used in undergraduate course-work, too. The combination of quality writing and Dr. Eichenbaum's expertise in the field makes it both easy enough to follow and quite insightful in most regards.

[Gaby · Rating 4 out of 5]

sick! Of ! Rat ! Studies!

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very in depth, not for your average layman. I have a bachelor's degree in neuroscience and even to me this was a more difficult, yet rewarding, read. Definitely a book to take notes of and study, probably will require a re-read to grasp all of the content

[Leila · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastically legitimate and trustworthy introduction to the field of Learning and Memory.

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great intro to the Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory