Interference is a critical problem for all memory systems and the neural circuitry that mediates interference-free memory retrieval is not well understood. We have examined two mechanisms that the brain uses to resolve interference. First, learned information becomes linked to the context where it was learned so that contextual cues prime the relevant memories and behaviors. This process depends critically on the hippocampus (Butterly et al., 2012).
The second mechanism involves the medial prefrontal cortex and its role in modulating memory retrieval. Recent findings suggest that the medial prefrontal cortex promotes the retrieval of some memories and suppresses the retrieval of others (Peters et al., 2013; Wu et al., 2014). One mechanism the brain uses to accomplish selective memory retrieval is to enhance the retrieval of recently used information, in part, by suppressing the retrieval of potentially competing items in memory.
Figure.
Control rats show less interference when they learn two odor lists in different contexts as opposed to the same context. Rats with hippocampal inactivation (MUSC), however, did not obtain an advantage from learning the two lists in separate contexts. They performed at the same level as control rats that learned the two lists in the same context. Muscimol infusions occurred prior to the first three training sessions (red box).
Bulkin, D. A., Law, L. M., & Smith, D. M. (2016). Placing memories in context: Hippocampal representations promote retrieval of appropriate memories. Hippocampus, 26(7), 958–971. https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.22579 
Wu, J. Q., Peters, G. J., Rittner, P., Cleland, T. A., & Smith, D. M. (2014). The hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, and selective memory retrieval: Evidence from a rodent model of the retrieval-induced forgetting effect. Hippocampus, 24(9), 1070–1080. https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.22291
Butterly, D. A., Petroccione, M. A., & Smith, D. M. (2012). Hippocampal context processing is critical for interference free recall of odor memories in rats. Hippocampus, 22(4), 906–913. https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.20953
Peters, G. J., David, C. N., Marcus, M. D., & Smith, D. M. (2013). The medial prefrontal cortex is critical for memory retrieval and resolving interference. Learning & Memory, 20(4), 201–209. https://doi.org/10.1101/lm.029249.112 Journal Cover Art
Law, L. M., & Smith, D. M. (2012). The anterior thalamus is critical for overcoming interference in a context-dependent odor discrimination task. Behavioral Neuroscience, 126(5), 710–719. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029698
Luu, P., Sill, O. C., Gao, L., Becker, S., Wojtowicz, J. M., & Smith, D. M. (2012). The role of adult hippocampal neurogenesis in reducing interference. Behavioral Neuroscience, 126(3), 381–391. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028252