Adaptive Plasticity Flashcards
What is adaptive plasticity?
The concept that adults can strengthen and create new synapses when interacting with their environment to help them adapt to it
What did Eric Kandel research?
He researched Aplysia (sea slug) and discovered the cellular basis of learning and memory formation
The aplysia has 20 000 big neurons
Kandel experimented on it by continuously poking it with a glass rod
He found that every time he poked it the slugs Presynaptic and postsynaptic NS were more ready for it
His research found that the slug adapted or ‘learned’ because it had strengthened synapses in its sensory and motor neurons in response to the repeated poking
This is an example of primitive long-term memory
What is long-term potentiation?
The brains increase in synaptic strength
Found that groups of neurons that fire together create a stronger synapse
‘Cells that fire together wire together’ Hebbs’s Rule (1949)
a synapse will become stronger the more frequently its used
the amount of neurotransmitters, buttons and dendrites increases when a synapse becomes stronger in order to make the process more efficient
What is long-term depression?
Argued that its part of removing old memories so new ones can be formed
Similar to LT potentiation except the electrical stimulation frequency is reduced
likely LT depression occurs because a neuron fires of of sync with others
What does LT Potentiation do?
Stronger and more efficient synapses
Increased neurotransmitter release and receptor sensitivity
Mostly studied in the hippocampus, but can occur in other parts of the cerebral cortex
Muscle memory is an example of LT potentiation
What occurs in synapse formation?
Growth of extra synapses are called ‘memory traces’ and are the biological evidence of memory
LT potentiation results in new neural pathways being created or existing ones becoming stronger
What is synaptogenesis?
occurs when a synapse is moulded or a new one formed as a result of learning
What’s glutamates role in learning?
During learning, terminal buttons release glutamate that increases likelihood of neurons firing
New branches begin to grow from the axon terminal called ‘filigree appendages’ and form towards other neurons dendrites
This enables newly learned info to be transferred efficiently
