Cognition: Learning and Memory Flashcards
What is reflexive memory also called? What is it?
Procedural or nondeclarative or implicit
It is memory which is not dependent on awareness / cognitive process, i.e. perceptual and motor skills, although it may apply to the rules of grammar as well
What is declarative memory also called? What are the two types?
Explicit memory
- Episodic - remembering of events
- Semantic - remembering of facts
They are stored differently via the hippocampus
What is working memory?
The RAM of your brain - short term memory for temporary use - i.e. looking up a phone number, or how much of something to add to a recipe
What is classic conditioning and what type of memory does it take advantage of?
Pairing of a neutral stimulus (ringing a bell) to a meaningful stimulus (the presentation of food). Takes advantage of reflexive memory
What is operant condition and what type of memory does it take advantage of?
Pairing a rewarding or punishing stimulus to an action to increase or decrease the frequency. Uses both reflexive and declarative memory (the rat can think, if i push this lever I will get some food)
How might simple types of learning be used therapeutically?
- Management of psychiatric disorders via operant conditioning
- Biofeedback: Relaxation techniques and behavioral modifications in stroke patients
What do the types or phases of memory differ in?
- How long they last
2. How sensitive they are to disruption
How long does long-term memory last? Is it sensitive to disruption?
It is permanent - although it may be hard to retrieve
It is insensitive to disruption
What are two ways in which memory can be disrupted? What type of memory is most sensitive? What will be caused if disrupted?
- Hypothermia - to slow brain activity
- Electroconvulsive shock
Short-term memory in a labile state is most sensitive
If disrupted -> retrograde amnesia
What are protein synthesis and cAMP formation necessary for during a learning trial?
Consolidation to long-term memory, although short-term memory will be intact
What is consolidation?
Process of converting short-term memories to long-term memories
What happens to rats who are shocked with ECT 1 hour after a learning task?
They have no memory of ever completing the task -> retrograde amnesia
What parts of the brain are important for declarative memories?
Temporal lobe and especially hippocampus
What happens when patients are stimulated in termporal lobe during awake brain surgery?
Vivid memories of past events are brought forward
What happens with temporal lobe lesion, including hippocampus?
Long-term memory will still be intact, and short-term memory can be acquired, but there is no consolidation
What type of learning is preserved with hippocampal damage?
Reflexive memory - skill learning i.e. playing a piano
What area is important for classical conditioning of the eye-blink response (reflexive memory)?
Cerebellum -> lateral part
What part of the brain is important for conditioned heart rate responses?
Amygdala
What parts of the brain are involved in complex memory tasks like learning mazes?
May involve every part of the cortex equally
What part of the brain is involved in spatial working memory, i.e. delayed spatial response? What neurotransmitter is involved?
Frontal lobe - around superior frontal sulcus (principal sulcus)
Dopamine is involved
What area of the brain functions subnormally in schizophrenics?
Frontal lobe - poor working memory
Where does the learning of complex motor tasks occur?
Cerebellum - for associative learning
Where does the non-associative learning for motor tasks occur?
At the level of the reflex pathways in the spinal cord
When is each side of the brain more likely to be active during a task requiring working memory?
Left brain: Verbal memory, remembering letters
Right brain: Location
What underlies the synaptic theory of learning?
Neuronal changes in learning occur due to changes in synaptic efficiency
What is long term potentiation (LTP)?
An increased slope of excitatory post-synaptic potentials which constitutes learning -> increased synaptic efficiency
What type of stimulation produces early LTP vs late LTP, and how long do they last?
Early - single train of stimuli given for 1 second at 100 Hz - lasts 2-3 hours
Late - four trains separated by 10 minutes - lasts 24 hours
Requires the excitation of multiple Schaffer collateral pyramidal cells simultaneously
What is the kindling theory of epilepsy?
Long-term potentiation mechanisms may underlie the increased frequency of epileptic seizures, as the threshold for the next seizure is reduced everytime they happen
What channel is required for LTP, and why?
Activation of NMDA channel (a type of glutamate receptor activated in Schaffer collaterals), because it is large enough for calcium to be let into the cell
Why is calcium required for LTP? What type of memories is this needed for?
Calcium enters the cell and activates a Ca-calmodulin regulated kinase, which phosphorylates the glutamate receptors (AMPA and NMDA), making them more sensitive to glutamate
Creates short-term memories, which may be consolidated into long-term
What can inhibit short-term memory formation?
Ca-calmodulin regulated kinase inhibitors
What is the mechanistic by which presynaptic glutamate release is enhanced?
Ca-calmodulin affects the action of nitric oxide synthase, which uses arginine as a substrate. NO travels presynaptically to enhance glutamate release
What is the mechanism of late phase LTP via Ca-calmodulin action?
Ca-calmodulin activates an adenylyl cyclase, which increases cAMP. cAMP activates cAMP-dependent protein kinase, which phosphorylates CREB-1.
CREB-1 is a nuclear protein which enhances the synthesis and expression of glutamate receptors to increase synaptic efficacy
What will CREB-1 deficiency cause?
Impaired long-term but not short-term memory
Lesion of what part of the brain is likely to cause difficulty remembering patterns?
Right (non-dominant) temporal lobe
Lesion of what part of the brain is likely to cause difficulty remembering words (i.e. nouns)?
Left temporal lobe
What part of the brain is responsible for priming?
Neocortex
I.e. Identifying something is faster when you’ve already identified it before, like a sketch
What part of the brain is involved in associative learning, classical and operant conditioning related to emotions?
Amygdala
What part of the brain is involved in procedural memory (i.e. skills / habits)?
Striatum (in basal ganglia, as opposed to striate cortex)
