Remembering is an intrinsic and awesome aspect of human function. Memory loss, a common sequela of brain damage, has been studied extensively to understand how the brain encodes, stores and retrieves information. Important anatomic structures for memory have been identified from work in surgical therapy for epilepsy as well as other clinical syndromes where memory loss is a major feature. Beyond clinicoanatomic correlations, current research has focused on synaptic modifications and biochemical processes that underlie changes in neuronal connectivity. As Alzheimer's disease research expands our knowledge of memory, the treatment of other memory disorders will follow.