Memory formation is dynamic in nature, and acquisition of new information is often influenced by previous experiences. Memories sharing certain attributes are known to interact so that retrieval of one increases the likelihood of retrieving the other, raising the possibility that related memories are organized into associative mnemonic structures of interconnected representations. Although the formation and retrieval of single memories have been studied extensively, very little is known about the brain mechanisms that organize and link related memories. Here we review studies that suggest the existence of mnemonic structures in humans and animal models. These studies suggest three main dimensions of experience that can serve to organize related memories: time, space, and perceptual/conceptual similarities. We propose potential molecular, cellular, and systems mechanisms that might support organization of memories according to these dimensions.

记忆的形成本质上是动态的，新信息的获取常常受到以前经历的影响。已知共享某些属性的记忆会相互作用，因此检索一个属性会增加检索另一个属性的可能性，从而提高了将相关记忆组织成互连表示的关联助记结构的可能性。尽管单个记忆的形成和检索已被广泛研究，但人们对组织和链接相关记忆的大脑机制知之甚少。在这里，我们回顾了表明人类和动物模型中存在助记结构的研究。这些研究提出了可用于组织相关记忆的三个主要经验维度：时间、空间和感知/概念相似性。我们提出了可能支持根据这些维度组织记忆的潜在分子、细胞和系统机制。