Final answer:
The hippocampus is responsible for processing explicit memories into long-term storage and is integral in memory consolidation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The hippocampus helps process explicit memories for long-term storage. This area of the brain is crucial for the consolidation of memory, which means it is responsible for transferring new information into a more permanent memory state.
Damage to the hippocampus can result in an inability to form new declarative memories, which are memories of facts and events that we can consciously recall. While the temporal lobe and its substructures, like the hippocampus and amygdala, play significant roles in memory storage and processing, the hippocampus is particularly associated with the long-term storage of episodic memory.
The process involves encoding new memories and eventually transferring them to the cortical regions for long-term storage and integration with existing memories.
Learn more about Hippocampus