Group · one in each half of the brain

Medial temporal cortex

Also called Parahippocampal region

The memory gateway on the inner temporal lobe, wrapped around the hippocampus.

Open in 3D

This is the inner strip of the temporal lobe, facing the middle of the brain. It includes the entorhinal cortex and the parahippocampal gyrus. These areas funnel information from the rest of the cortex into the hippocampus and back out again, which is how experiences become lasting memories. It is also where the brain builds maps of places and scenes.

Where it is

On the inner, lower surface of each temporal lobe, near the brain's midline, lying right alongside the hippocampus.

What it does

Think of it as the front desk of a library, where everything going into or out of the memory archive is checked in.

Inside the medial temporal cortex

• Entorhinal cortexThe hippocampus's front door, and home of the brain's built-in grid map.
• Parahippocampal gyrusYour scene recognizer: it knows a kitchen from a beach at a glance.

Works with

• HippocampusThe hippocampus is its main partner. These areas feed it information and carry memories back out to the cortex.
• AmygdalaThe amygdala marks emotional events so they are more likely to be remembered.
• CingulumThis long fiber cable links it with the cingulate cortex and the parietal lobe.
• Isthmus of the cingulateThis nearby region helps it with navigation and remembering where things are.
• Fusiform gyrusVisual information about objects and faces flows in from next door.

When it goes wrong

For learning only, not medical advice. If you have a health concern, talk to a doctor.

Surprising facts

• Recordings in this part of the brain in epilepsy patients found single cells that fired to many different pictures of one famous person, and even to their written name.
• The famous patient H.M. lost much of this region on both sides and could not form new memories, yet he could still learn new motor skills, like tracing a star while looking in a mirror. That showed memory is not one single system.

Where the name comes from

"Medial" comes from the Latin "medius" (middle) and means "toward the middle" of the body.

Sources

1. Physiology, Cerebral Cortex Functions, StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf
2. Memory is Classified Based on Time Course and Type of Information Stored, OpenStax, Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience
3. Alzheimer Disease, StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf

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