Brain: Memory & Language 3 Flashcards
What is Episodic Memory?
Autobiographical Memory
Event Memory
Personally experienced events
Describe Tulving’s Long Term Memory Systems
Episodic Memory
Semantic Memory
Procedural Memory
How is Episodic Memory Formed?
Memory is formed automatically after one experience
You are usually not trying to remember the information
What sort of information do Episodic Memories include?
Time
Place
Emotion
When and Where are important!
Is information on When, Where, and What stored in the same part of the brain?
No, Where & When are stored in a different area of the brain than the What
Can you have a memory deficit where you can remember a piece of information but not remember where or when you learned it?
Yes
Can you also have a memory deficit where you lose the emotional connection to memories?
Yes
What do Episodic Memories give us?
Gives us our sense of self
What are Flashbulb Memories?
A special type of episodic memory that has a very strong emotional connection
Vivid memories of emotional events
How confident are people in their Flashbulb Memories?
Very!
What happens to our perception of Flashbulb Memories as time passes?
As time goes by, our confidence goes up but our accuracy goes down
What is Semantic Memory?
Generic Memory
General world knowledge
What is Concept Knowledge?
Knowledge of things
“What is a cup?”
What is Functional Knowledge?
What is the use of something
“What are phones used for?”
What is Factual Knowledge?
General Knowledge
6 x 7 = ?
How many states are there?
Famous Faces
What is Language Knowledge?
Knowledge of Words, Meanings, & Syntax
How is Semantic Memory formed?
Memories are formed over repeated experiences
The memory is formed over many, many exposures
Why is Semantic Memory important?
Information in semantic memory is critical for survival!
It allows us to recognize objects and situations even if we have never seen the exact item before.
How do we feel about things we don’t recognize?
If we cannot recognize something, it makes us really uncomfortable.
Why is there no emotional connection to Semantic Memories?
There is no associated time, place, or emotion
What is Procedural Memory?
Often used without conscious thinking
Includes: Motor Skills (Muscle Memory) Habits Simple Associative Learning Eye blinking, braking on red, etc. Automatized Speech Speech learned early and is frequently used Beginning of the alphabet, #1-10, days of the week
How do we acquire Procedural Memory?
Learned through repetition
What is Declarative Memory?
Conscious memory
(Knowing “that….”)
You can declare it and are aware you know it.
They can be consciously accessed.
What types of memory are included in Declarative Memory?
Episodic Memory
Semantic Memory
Arturo Toscanin
Master Mnemonist
1867-1957
Famous Conductor
Had poor eyesight and thus conducted from memory
He knew every instrumental part from around 250 symphonies and 100 opera
Subject “S”
Master Mnemonist
Study by Luria in 1960s
Subject was called “S” to protect identity
Patient thought something was wrong with him because he couldn’t forget things
S’s memory seemed limitless
He could remember lists of numbers, words, and figures and S could reproduce them perfectly - even years later!
SS was haunted by the fact that he couldn’t forget anything!
Why is forgetting important?
It makes us more efficient
Rajan Mahadevan
Master Mnemonist
If he was shown a 20x20 array of digits for 30 seconds, he could report it perfectly 6 months later
Could recite pi to 31,811 digits (it took over 3 hours!)
Had normal memory for everything else (words, where he put his car keys, etc.)
Daniel Tammet
Master Mnemonist
Subject of Discovery Channel Documentary called “Brainman”
Memory abilities arose after a seizure at the age of 3
Can learn 1,000 digits in 40 minutes
Speaks several languages and learned Icelandic in one week!
Was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome as an adult
Jill Price
Master Mnemonist
She has extraordinary episodic memory but not semantic
She was terrible of memorizing lists of items
Saw memory as a curse
Hyperthymesia
Super Memory
How many Hyperthymesiacs do we know about?
Have only found 6 people who have met this qualification
How do Hyperthymesiacs approach information?
These people tend to be very obsessive in regards to organization
Why is Procedural Memory important?
It allows our memory to be open to focus on other tasks
What areas of the brain are associated with Procedural Memory?
Cerebellum
Basal Ganglia
Can patients with damage to the Cerebellum improve their Procedural Memory?
No - not even with practice
What areas of the brain are associate with Semantic Memory?
Temporal Lobes
What areas of the brain are associated with Episodic Memory?
Temporal Lobes
Especially the Hippocampus
Amygdala
Is not lateralized
Where is the hippocampus located?
In the medial temporal lobe
Is the hippocampus necessary for the retrieval of memories?
No, it is only critical for the creation (consolidation) of episodic memories
It is NOT the location of episodic memory
Where is the Amygdala located?
On the end of the hippocampus
What role does the Amygdala play in memory formation?
Put emotion into memories
It is involved in the processing of emotions (especially fear)
Works alongside hippocampus
Are Episodic Memories stored in one section of the brain?
No, Episodic Memories do not seem to be stored in a single brain area, but elements of an experience are insteadstored in many areas
What happens when we remember something?
Our ability to remember is a process of reconstruction or reactivation
The different components are activated to reconstruct the memory
What is the best way to consolidate information?
Best way to consulate information is to follow it with several session of REM sleep
What are False Memories?
Constructed memories for events that never occurred
What did Elizabeth Loftus discover?
Exposure to misinformation can induce memory distortion
It can contaminate the original memory allowing false memories to be implanted
What experiment did Loftus & Coan perform in 1994?
They enlisted family members to help convince 5 people (8-42 yrs) that they had been lost in a mall as a child
This was successful in every single individuals
What experiment did Hyman et al. perform in 1993? What was the progression?
Students were asked about past events including a false one such as a hospital stay
1st Interview: No one recalled event
2nd Interview (1-7 days later): 20% remembered something about the false even (details about the hospital, the pain)
What experiment did Hyman et al perform in 1996?
People were asked about true and false events
Spilling a punch bowl at a reception
False memory increases with each successive interview
Why do false memories develop over time?
When memory is searched, all relevant information is retrieved from episodic memory
Every time you retrieve information, it creates a new episodic memory
What experiment did Ceci et al perform in 1995-1996? What was the progression?
Children (3-6) were asked about real & false events (hand in a mousetrap, balloon ride, etc.)
3 months later, 36% of younger of children and 32% of older children claimed the events had actually happened
They greatly embellished their false memories
After the debriefing, some children continued to insist the events actually happened!
What is Source Confusion?
When the source of information is forgotten
Why does Source Confusion occur?
We pick up information from different places and parts of our lives
When we recall information, the sources can get confused
Just because something is familiar doesn’t mean it’s accurate or that the source is correct
What part of the brain is Source Confusion associated with?
Source memory is associated with the prefrontal cortex
False Memories can also occur because of…
Source Confusion
Mental Images (Vivid)
Reality Monitoring
What are Mental Images?
If a mental image is rich in detail and easy to imagine, we may think it really happened
“Imagine this event happened to you…”
“Did I dream it or did it happen?”
Do dreams create episodic memories?
Yes
What is Reality Monitoring?
People aren’t perfect at knowing whether they actually did an action or just imagined doing it
Who was H.M.?
Grew up in the 1950s
Had unremarkable childhood up until 9 years
At 9, was knocked off of bike and hit head
At 10, had first minor seizure
At 16, first major seizure
As an adult, suffered seizures and blackouts
Had his hippocampus bilaterally removed as a solution to seizures
Suffered Anterograde Amnesia as a result of this procedure
What happened to H.M. in 1953?
Dr. Scoville performed a bilateral medial temporal lobe resection
He removed H.M.’s hippocampus on both sides
No one knew what the hippocampus did!
What happened to H.M. after his surgery?
Stopped having seizures
Had a normal Working Memory span
He could not learn any new information
His memories up to age 16 were intact
When did H.M. pass away?
2008
What did we learn from H.M.?
Based on H.M.’s outcome, it was concluded that the hippocampus was important for episodic memory
What types of amnesia are there?
Retrograde Amnesia
Anterograde Amnesia
What is Retrograde Amnesia?
Impaired memory for events that occurred before the trauma (TBI)
Learning of new information is normal! (Still intact)
When due to TBI, many memories are often recovered
What sorts of Retrograde Amnesia are there?
Mild: Loss of minutes/hours
Severe: Complete loss of past events. Very Rare!
What is Temporally Graded Retrograde Amnesia?
Events that occurred a long time ago (Remote Events) are less affected than those close to the event
Who is Scott Bolzan?
Suffers from a rare case of severe retrograde amnesia
Is from Gilbert, AZ
He suffered brain damage in 2008 due to a fall in the bathroom at work.
What is Anterograde Amnesia?
Impaired memory for events occurring after injury
Memory for pre-injury events are good
Anterograde amnesia results in difficulty in learning new information
They still have…
Intact Short Term Working Memory/Working Memory
Intact Pre-Trauma memories
Which is more common: Anterograde Amnesia or Retrograde Amnesia?
Anterograde Amnesia
It is the characteristic of “amnesia syndromes”
What is “N.A. and the Unfortunate Foil”?
In 1960, N.A. (a 22 year old Air Force student) had an accident with a mini fencing foil
He suffered damage to the diencephalon (Thalamus & mammilary bodies)
Memories prior to the accident were intact
Like H.M., N.A. could not remember any new information
Who is E.P.?
He also had a case of Severe Anterograde Amnesia
Was able to remember three word phrases using his procedural memory
Who is Clive Wearing?
The most severe and well documented case of amnesia
He was a conductor who was stricken with viral encephalitis
Clive has severe Retrograde and Anterograde Amnesia
He lives in about a one minute span
Always thinks he’s “just waking up”
Why is Viral Encephalitis damaging to memory?
This can attack the medial temporal lobe where the hippocampus is.
Most cognitive side effects caused by encephalitis are memory related
How is Clive Wearing’s Episodic Memory?
Nonexistent
He has absolutely no Personal Memories
How is Clive Wearing’s Semantic Memory?
Impaired
He cannot learn new facts, faces, or names
Prior Facts Retained (Still has intact function & concept information)
How is Clive Wearing’s Procedural Memory?
Good!
Intact piano playing/singing skills
Can play cards
Can make tea
Etc.
What are some other conditions that can lead to Amnesia?
Korsakoff’s Syndrome
Anoxia
What is Korsakoff’s Syndrome?
Usually has Severe Anterograde Amnesia with fairly intact remote memories
Unique among Amnesiacs
Suffers have lack of awareness or concern over memory deficit (They deny it or don’t think it’s a big deal)
Caused by a Thiamine (B1) deficiency
Who tends to suffer from Korsakoff’s Syndrome?
Also seen in those with chronic anorexia
If caught early enough, if can be treated with vitamin supplements
Seen in 40% of alcoholics (to some degree)
Usually appears after 10+ years of heavy drinking
(They drink so much that they barely eat)
Is there a treatment for Korsakoff’s Syndrome?
They can be treated with B1
Usually there is some recovery but it is very slow and often incomplete
How do Korsakoff’s Syndrome suffers react to their memory deficits?
Have lack of awareness or concern over memory deficit
They deny it or don’t think it’s a big deal
They will confabulate to cover up memory gaps
What is Anoxia?
Basically oxygen deprivation
How long before Anoxia causes brain damage?
Anoxia of >5 minutes results in brain damage
What can cause anoxia?
Carbon Monoxide poisoning
Choking
Drowning
Cardiac Arrest
Etc.
What part of the brain is extremely sensitive to Anoxia?
Medial temporal lobes are very sensitive to anoxia
What kind of Amnesia is most common with Anoxia?
Usually results in Anterograde Amnesia but can also result in Retrograde Amnesia?
