Tapestry of memory.

In this essay, I have elaborated on the ideas and experiments that have guided my research career. First, I present my early research history and my involvement in determining the neurobiological basis of the consolidation process based primarily on the consolidation paradigm. Based on a series of experiments and a new interest in cognitive psychology, I then developed a cognitive and neurobiologically based model of memory. This model represents a comprehensive view of memory organization based on multiple processes and multiple forms of memory representation and is based on the neurobiology of a multiple attribute, multiple process, tripartite system model of memory. I present some detailed evidence in terms of the neural foundations, specific attributes, and processes of operation for the event-based, knowledge-based, and rule-based memory systems. In addition, I present a set of experiments to demonstrate that there might be parallel processing of mnemonic information in rats and humans. Finally, I recognize that ideas can be generated by reading the extant literature, interaction with colleagues at meetings, and exchange of ideas with students to design and execute hopefully meaningful experiments. (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.