Investigating the role of the medial temporal lobe in memory and perception

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Our long-term memories are a large part of who we are and are critical for everyday life. It is important, therefore, that we understand how the brain stores and retrieves memories and how damage to the brain can disrupt memory processing. The standard view of the brain and memory is that there is a brain region called the medial temporal lobe (MTL), which functions as a dedicated long-term memory centre. Thus, damage to the MTL as a result of neurodegenerative disease (e.g. Alzheimer's disease) or traumatic injury is believed to be responsible for poor long-term memory only, and not problems with other cognitive functions. Recent work has, however, challenged this idea, and suggested that the MTL may also be critical for processes beyond long-term memory, including short-term memory and even visual perception. My research aims to investigate this alternative view further and understand how memory and perceptual processes may interact in the MTL. In particular I hope to explore to what extent the same neural mechanisms underlie memory and perception, and how impairments in visual perception can impact memory processing. Importantly, this work will contribute towards a new theoretical framework of understanding how memories are processed in the brain and how memory loss can arise following brain damage.