hippocampus

[hip-uh-kam-puhs]

noun

plural

hippocampi 

1. Classical Mythology.,  a fish-tailed horse of the sea that was ridden by the sea gods.

2. Anatomy.,  an enfolding of cerebral cortex into the lateral fissure of a cerebral hemisphere, having a major role in learning, emotion, and memory, and named for the seahorse shape of its cross section.

hippocampus

/ ˌhɪpəʊˈkæmpəs /

noun

1. a mythological sea creature with the forelegs of a horse and the tail of a fish

2. any marine teleost fish of the genus Hippocampus, having a horselike head See sea horse

3. an area of cerebral cortex that forms a ridge in the floor of the lateral ventricle of the brain, which in cross section has the shape of a sea horse. It functions as part of the limbic system

hippocampus

plural

hippocampi 

1. A convoluted, seahorse-shaped structure in the cerebral cortex of the temporal lobe of the brain, composed of two gyri with white matter above gray matter. It forms part of the limbic system and is involved in the processing of emotions and memory.

Other Word Forms

• hippocampal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hippocampus¹

First recorded in 1575–80; from Latin hippocampus, hippocampos, from Greek hippókampos, equivalent to hippo- hippo- + kámpos “sea monster”

Word History and Origins

Origin of hippocampus¹

C16: from Latin, from Greek hippos horse + kampos a sea monster

Example Sentences

Their brains also contained more "mossy cells" within the hippocampus, a region essential for learning and memory.

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In standard chow-fed animals, exercise robustly increased neurogenesis throughout the hippocampus, a brain region involved in emotion and memory.

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Several studies have identified decreases in gray matter volume in key regions such as the frontal and temporal cortices and the hippocampus, which play major roles in memory and decision-making.

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Excessive exposure to high-sugar foods has also been found to reduce cognitive function and cause damage to the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, the parts of the brain that mediate executive control and memory.

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New neurons are produced in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for learning.

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