Nestled in the core of the brain is the hippocampus, a little curve of tissue central to memory and learning . It serves as a processing center for our experiences, helping organize information as it comes in. The hippocampus does that when we’re awake—and, a new study suggests , even when we’re unconscious. The small study, published recently in the journal Nature , drew on data from seven people who had surgery to remove portions of their brains as a treatment for epilepsy . It found