The Evolution of Memory Systems: Ancestors, Anatomy, and Adaptations

The Evolution of Memory Systems sets out a bold and exciting new theory about memory. It proposes that several memory systems arose during evolution and that they did so for the same general reason: to transcend problems and exploit opportunities encountered by specific ancestors at particular times and places in the distant past.

Elisabeth Murray, National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, Head of the Laboratory of Neuropsychology, Steven Wise, National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, Former Chief of the Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Chief of the Section on Neurophysiology of the Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience, and Kim Graham, University of Cardiff, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience.

Elisabeth A. (Betsy) Murray was raised with her three brothers in Syracuse, New York. She received a B.S. in Biology from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Texas. Dr. Murray is an elected Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, of the American Psychological Association, and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She currently heads the Laboratory of Neuropsychology at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

Steven P. Wise received a B.A. in Biology from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. from Washington University (St. Louis) in Biology. After a brief period of postdoctoral study, he had a 30-year career in neurophysiology at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda and Poolesville, Maryland. Dr Wise served as Chief of the Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Chief of the Section on Neurophysiology of the Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience.

Kim S. Graham received a B.Sc. In Biological Sciences from Edinburgh University, followed by a Ph.D. from Cambridge University in Psychology. She subsequently worked as a research scientist at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences for 12 years, prior to moving to Cardiff University in 2007, where she is currently a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience.