unique or unusual examples of individuals with brain injuries are often used to help identify the underlying neurological mechanisms for human memory and mental processing. A classic example is the case study of a patient identified as H.M. (Scoville & Milner,1957). In an attempt to control severe epileptic seizures, H.M.'s hippocampus was surgically severed in both the left and right hemispheres of the brain. After surgery, H.M. had normal memory of events that occurred prior to surgery and his overall intelligence was unchanged. In addition, his immediate memory (short-term memory) also appeared to function normally. For example, he could repeat a string of digits such as a telephone number. However, H.M. had lost the ability to permanently store any new information in memory. You could introduce yourself and talk briefly with H.M., then leave the room while he was occupied with some other task; when you returned to the room after only a few minutes, H.M. would have no memory of ever having met you and no memory of your conversation. In general, H.M. was unable to learn any new information presented to him after the surgery. This remarkable case study completely changed the way psychologists think about memory. Prior to the H.M. case, psychologists tended to view memory as a location in the brain. Now, memory is viewed as a process. H.M.'s injury did not destroy any specific memories; instead it seems to have disrupted a process. As a consequence of the study of H.M.'s case, evidence was provided that the hippocampus appears to play a crucial role in the process by which our current experiences are transformed into permanent memories. Finally, we should note that the initials H.M. were used in research reports to protect the identify of Henry Molaison, whose name was revealed when he died in December of 2008 (Bhattacharjee,2008). Over a period of more than 50 years, Mr.Molaison participated in hundreds of research studies examining human learning and memory.