hippocampus

Term: hippocampus

Literally meaning: “seahorse”

Origin: Anc Greek

ίππος/hippos(=horse)

Κάμπη/Campe(= female dragon,  derived from noun καμπή/campe=  “bend”, “crook”, because of her shape)

In Greek mythology Kάμπη/Campe was a female monster, a dragon with a woman's head and torso and a scorpion-like tail. Κάμπη was set by Cronus to guard the Cyclopes  but she was killed by Zeus when he rescued the Cyclopes for help in the war with Titans.

Coined/History

In 1587 by Venetian anatomist Julius Caesar Aranzi (1529/1530 –1589) because of its shape. The German anatomist Duvernoy (1729), the first to illustrate the structure, later he wavered between "seahorse" and "silkworm."

Definition

The hippocampus is a  part of the of limpic system in the mammals brain playing important role in the consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory and in regulating many of emotions, particularly those that are related to survival.