What is the role of the hippocampus in memory?

The hippocampus is extremely important for memory and damage to the hippocampus can lead to the inability to recall past events.Studies on primates find primates with hippocampal damage require more trials to relearn the task than non-damaged hippocampal primates.Memories are retrieved by the hippocampus,and projections from the hippocampus go to the frontal lobe where they are translated into action.Other research shows that the hippocampus is activated when memories are retrieved and inhibited when unwanted memories are suppressed.