Final answer:
Semantic memories are stored in the anterolateral temporal lobe, with studies on patient HM highlighting the critical role of the medial temporal lobe and hippocampus in memory consolidation and storage.
Step-by-step explanation:
The location where semantic memories are stored is the anterolateral temporal lobe. Our understanding of memory storage in the brain stems from extensive studies, one of the most famous being that of patient HM, who had his medial temporal lobes removed. As a result, he lost the ability to form new long-term memories, but his condition provided significant insights into how the hippocampus and adjacent medial temporal lobe structures are crucial for memory consolidation and storage in the temporal lobe.
The storage of different types of memories such as short-term, procedural, and episodic is distributed among various parts of the brain. The medial temporal lobe, and more specifically the hippocampus and related structures, are essential for moving short-term memories to long-term storage in the multimodal integration areas of the cerebral cortex.