Involvement of Medial Temporal Lobe Structures in Memory and Perception

Beginning approximately a decade and a half ago, it was suggested that some structures that are considered to be part of the "medial temporal lobe memory system" could play a role in perception as well. The implications of this view, interpreted broadly, are that medial temporal lobe structures may be understood as an extension of the ventral visual stream and that their functions cannot be described exclusively in terms of memory. Considerable evidence now supports the view that medial temporal lobe structures are involved in nonmnemonic aspects of cognition, such as perception. This discovery allows for a fuller understanding of the involvement of these structures in mental phenomena than does a purely mnemonic account of their function. See the related review by Suzuki, "Perception and the Medial Temporal Lobe: Evaluating the Current Evidence," in this issue of Neuron.