Final answer:
Damage to the hippocampus area of the brain is most likely responsible for problems storing away new memories, due to its role in encoding and consolidating new information into long-term memory.
Step-by-step explanation:
If you have problems storing away new memories, the damage is most likely in the hippocampus area of the brain. The hippocampus is crucial for encoding new memories before they are stored in other parts of the brain. While memory consolidation involves various brain structures, including the cerebral cortex for long-term storage, the hippocampus plays a key role in the initial encoding of new memories, which can be directly affected by damage resulting in conditions like anterograde amnesia.
Furthermore, the distinction between short-term, procedural, and episodic memories is evidence that different parts of the brain are responsible for different memory processes. The hippocampus, along with adjacent structures in the medial temporal lobe, is essential for transferring short-term memories to long-term memory storage. Without the proper functioning of the hippocampus, creating new long-term memories becomes difficult or impossible, reflecting the symptoms seen in patient H.M. and others experiencing amnesia.