The medial temporal lobe includes the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus which are important for forming memories of daily life experiences. The authors of this study studied human subjects who had intracranial depth electrodes implanted for later epilepsy surgery. Stimulation of the entorhinal region during learning enhanced memory of spatial information (learning locations of landmarks in a virtual environment). This implies that memory function is not normally at its optimal level and that it may be enhanced by different treatments. Understanding these mechanisms also has application for pharmaceutical drug development.

Suthana N, Haneef Z, Stern J, Mukamel R, Behnke E, Knowlton B, Fried I: Memory Enhancement and Deep-Brain Stimulation of the Entorhinal Area. New England J. Medicine 366: 502-510 (2012).

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1107212?query=featured_home