Consciousness and the relation between implicit and explicit memory

A commonly held assumption is that consciousness is a defining feature that distinguishes explicit memory (with conscious awareness) from implicit memory (without conscious awareness). Although early studies support this notion, recent evidence suggests that conscious and non-conscious memory systems may share crucial underlying processes. Here, we propose that one locus of interaction between some types of explicit and implicit memory may be the non-conscious processes associated with recollection, or detailed remembering, that are mediated by the hippocampus.