Dot Point 2 Flashcards
What is long term potentiation?
Is the increased tendency for a group of neutrons to fire after they have been repeatedly stimulated by other neutrons
This repeated stimulation leads to permanent functional and structural changes that enable a long term memory to be stored
What are the changes as a result of LTP (long term potentiation)
Functional - pre synaptic neuron releases more neurotransmitters more readily,
Strengthening of the synaptic connection
More efficient pathway, post-synaptic neuron is more readily excited
Structural - new synaptic connections are formed
Bushier dendrites / dendritic spines formed
What is acetylcholine
Enables memory function in the hippocampus and is Associated with learning
What is serotonin
Memory is aided by its presence in the brain. It regulates arousal and mood
What is dopamine ?
Facilitates movement, attention and learning. Heavy involvement in reinforcement
What is Glutamate ?
Necessary for permanent changes in the synapse to occurs (LTP)
How are memories formed?
Memories are formed due to biochemical changes in the synapse in response to different neurotransmitters
Memory is a form of neural plasticity where neural connections are removed and re - made on a continual basis
The key parts of the temporal lobe for memory are found where?
Medial temporal lobe
What are found within the medial temporal lobes?
Hippocampus and Amygdala
What are the primary functions of the Amygdala ?
The storage/function/consolidation/encoding and retrieval of emotional information in memory, especially information relating to fear
Damage to Amygdala
Leaves a person unable to learn a fear response through classical conditioning
The hippocampus primary function
The consolidation, storage, retrieval, encoding, formation and processing of declarative memory/explicit memories, including episodic and semantic memories
Note on hippocampus
While the hippocampus is crucially involved in the storing/storage of declarative memories, it is not thought to be a place of long term storage in itself
Damage to the hippocampus
Can cause amnesia
What is consolidation
Is the process of permanently storing a memory, where physical changes occur in the synapses of neutrons and a strengthening of that memory occurs over time
Usually occurs in the hippocampus, converting STM to LTM
There are 3 conditions necessary for consolidation to occur - what are they?
Physical changes in the synapse
No disruptions (physical such as a head injury or poor attention, stress/anxiety)
A certain amount of time, usually a minimum of 30 minutes
What is re-consolidation
Once we retrieve a memory we generally have to consolidate again in order to refine, correct or modify our existing LTM
At this time it is again vulnerable to disruption
What happens when memory formation is disrupted?
A LTM will not be formed as
There is a period of time when memory’s are set,
These memories are susceptible to alteration by new relevant information
The physical process of changes in the synapses can be disrupted by
- a head injury, the amount of attention paid to the information
- arousal level due to anxiety or alertness
What is amnesia
Amnesia is the inability to recall previously stored information, usually caused by brain trauma or neuron degeneration disorders
What are the 2 types of amnesia?
Retrograde and anterograde
What is retrograde amnesia
Have difficulty recalling previously stored information
It involves a loss of information before the trauma
What is anterograde amnesia
Difficulty encoding and storing new memories
Can not learn anything new but can still recall memories formed prior to the trauma
What is dementia
Refers to a disorder affecting ghee mental processes
Can occur in various forms and causes by a variety of factors
What is Alzheimer’s ?
Is a neuro-degenerate disease characterises by the gradual widespread degeneration of brain neutrons,mac using memory loss, a decline in cognitive and social skills, and personality changes
