How might the hippocampus reduce interference between similar memories?

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Patient H.M. and short-term memory loss explained — hippocampus Learn about Henry Molaison (better known as “patient H.M.”), whose short-term memory loss following a lobotomy helped researchers to understand how brain structures are related to brain function.

While the exact mechanisms by which the hippocampus supports memory are still a subject of scientific debate, some theories suggest that it facilitates rapid learning by reducing interference between similar memories.

For example, this process helps distinguish between overlapping experiences, such as recalling where a person parked their car today versus where they parked it yesterday. By acting as an index—similar to an index at the end of a book—the hippocampus may bind together the various elements of an experience without storing the experience itself. In this model, the actual memory is assumed to be stored in a distributed fashion throughout the brain, while the hippocampus maintains an index of that distributed code to help keep distinct memories from becoming confused.1