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Semin Speech Lang 2001; 22(2): 109-118
DOI: 10.1055/s-2001-13935
Copyright © 2001 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA. Tel.: +1(212) 584-4662

Memory Systems of the Brain: A Cognitive Neuropsychological Analysis

Kelly Sullivan Giovanello, Mieke Verfaellie
  • Memory Disorders Research Center, Boston VA Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
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Publication History

Publication Date:
31 December 2001 (online)

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ABSTRACT

Neuropsychological studies of amnesic patients, cognitive studies of normal individuals, and functional neuroimaging studies have shaped our understanding of the cognitive and neural bases of various forms of human memory. This article reviews the functional and neural characteristics of working memory, declarative memory, and nondeclarative memory. In so doing, it highlights the pattern of impaired and preserved memory abilities that characterize different neurologic populations. This knowledge provides a framework for analyzing patients' neuropsychological deficits in terms of underlying cognitive processes.

KEYWORD

Amnesia - declarative memory - nondeclarative memory - working memory

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