Brain and Behaviour Flashcards
what are the basic stages of memory formation?
1) registration (from the senses into system )
2) encoding (processing and combining the sensory input)
3) storage (holding on to information)
4) retrieval (recovering stored information ie. remembering)
what are the different types of memory, divided based on duration?
1) sensory
2) working/short term: technically spans a few seconds
3) long term
where is information lost when forming long term memories?
in attention and working memory
where is the transition when retrieving memories?
from long term to working memory
what are the divisions in long term memory ?
1) declarative (explicit):
- episodic (events)
- semantic (facts)
2) non-declarative (implicit):
- procedural (skills and habits)
- priming
- simple classic conditioning (emotional and MSK)
- non-associative learning
which brain parts have a role in the subdivision of long term memory?
declarative: facts and events
- hippocampus
non-declarative: via performance
- striatum (procedural)
- neocortex (priming)
- amygdala (emotional responses)
- cerebellum (MSK response)
what part of the brain is involved in episodic memories?
medial temporal lobes including hippocampus, entorhinal cortex (parahippocampal cortex) mamillary bodies,
which side of the brain is used for verbal and non-verbal information?
left–> verbal
right–> non-verbal e.g. face recognition
how do we tend to remember a conversation at a consultation?
patients remember the beginning and end of the consultation best due to primacy and recency effects (the more prominent)
- therefore info needs to be emphasised and repeated
- info must be chunked up and not overloaded onto the patient
what affects our likelihood of remembering something like a shopping list?
the order personal salience number of words chunking strategy delay time distractions
what are the time periods in a period of “attention paying” that we remember most?
1) primacy effect (lost in Parkinsons so they lack the encoding process in memory formation)
2) recency effect- i.e. the most recent information shared in the conversation for example
what are the smallest units of language? what is the next smallest?
Phoneme
– smallest unit of speech sound that signals a difference in meaning (humans produce over 100).
Morphemes
– smallest units of meaning in a language.
- Typically, one syllable.
- Morphemes are combined into words.
what is syntax?
rules and principles that govern the way in which morphemes can be combined to communicate meaning in a language.
what is the theory of universal grammar?
under normal conditions, human beings will develop language with particular properties
– e.g. distinguish nouns from verbs.
how does language development change over time in an infant?
- distinguishes speech from non-speech sounds
- Babbling
- Babbling phonemes narrow to local cultural phonemes
- First words
- use of single words to express whole phrases
- first rudimentary sentences (little/no use of articles)
- Vocabulary increases rapidly. Longer sentences often grammatically incorrect
- learned basic grammatical rules. Meaningful sentences
when is the critical period for language acquisition?
before the age of 5
second language acquisition also exhibits the same pattern
what mutation have been found in those with language acquisition problems?
FOXP2 gene mutations
what side dominance do most all-handed people have?
left hemispheric
(95% of right-handed people have left-hemispheric dominance for language.
18.8% of left-handed people have right-hemispheric dominance for language).
19.8% of left-handed people have bi-lateral language functions
what are the characteristics of Broca’s aphasia?
o Non-fluent speech.
o Impaired repetition.
o Poor ability to produce syntactically correct sentences.
o Intact comprehension – they know they are saying it wrong.
what are the characteristics of Wernicke’s aphasia?
o Fluent meaningless speech. – Unaware that they are speaking crap o Paraphasias – errors in producing specific words: a- Semantic paraphasias – substituting words similar in meaning e.g. “barn” for “house”. b- Phonemic paraphasias – substituting words similar in sound e.g. “house” for “mouse”. o Neologisms – non-words – e.g. “galump”. o Poor repetition. o Impairment in writing.
what structure transmits information from Wernicke’s area to Broca’s area?
Arcuate fasciculus
they are actually multiple structures that connect e.g. uncinate fasciculus
what is the result of impairment at the arcuate fasciculus?
o Difficulty speaking repeated words.
o Retaining comprehension.
o Retaining spontaneous conversation.
what can cause the lesions at Broca’s or Wernicke’s?
o Stroke.
o Traumatic brain injury.
o Neurodegenerative conditions – i.e. Parkinson’s.
what can cause transient aphasia?
TIA or migraine
what is Dysexecutive Syndrome?
disruption of executive function closely related to frontal lobe damage.
therefore can not carry out tasks that require planning and judgement
what are the executive functions of the brain?
- planning
- focused attention
- remembering instructions
- juggling multiple tasks
system that processes novel situations outside our automatic psychological processes.
what are the causes of dysexecutive syndrome?
- head trauma
- tumours
- degenerative diseases (e.g. In Alzheimers, the frontal lobe is damaged last)
- cerebrovascular disease
- psychiatric conditions.
these have to affect the FRONTAL lobe
what are the cognitive difficulties associated with dysexecutive syndrome?
o Poor planning/organisation.
o Attention and working memory difficulties.
o Difficulty remembering instructions
o Difficulty switching from task to task.
o Difficulty juggling multiple tasks.
o Difficulty with complex/abstract thinking.
o Difficulty coping with novel situations.
what are the behavioural and emotional difficulties in dysexecutive syndrome?
- hypo or hyperactivity
- lack of drive or impulsiveness
- apathetic or disinhibited
- socially inappropriate
- poor initiation of tasks or perseverative
- emotional bluntness or dysregualtion
- reduced empathy
- rude, crass, prone to swearing
what is declarative memory?
storage of our knowlegde
- episodic= memory related to personal experience
- semantic= memory of facts
what is non-declarative memory?
familiarity; knowledge of how to interact with something or in a situation without thinking about it
how can memory be enhanced?
1) by assimilation: link words with previous knowledge; give words a meaning
2) mnemonics: letter present words/knowledge, integrated into memorable sentence
