The hippocampus is an anatomical subdivision of the brain that belongs to the limbic system.  It is located, with mirror-image halves in the right and left hemispheres of the brain, in the medial temporal lobe.  It plays a role in long-term memory and spatial navigation, and hippocampal damage is said to cause memory problems, disorientation, and in some cases amnesia (inability to form or retain new memories). <img src="http://www.morphonix.com/software/education/science/brain/game/specimens/images/hippocampus.gif"><br/>