What is the primary role of the hippocampus in memory?

The hippocampus plays a critical role in the formation of new memories, particularly in the process of consolidating short-term memories into long-term ones. It is involved in the initial encoding of information and helps to form new declarative memories, which include facts and events. This function is vital for learning and for the ability to recall new information.

While the retrieval of long-term memories is an important function, it primarily involves other areas of the brain such as the cortex. The storage of procedural memories, which relate to skills and tasks (like riding a bike or playing a musical instrument), occurs in different regions, such as the basal ganglia and the cerebellum. Furthermore, the organization of sensory information mainly occurs in sensory areas of the brain rather than the hippocampus, which is focused on memory formation and consolidation. Thus, the role of the hippocampus is explicitly linked to the creation of new memories, making the selected answer accurate.