Learning and Memory Flashcards
learning
acquiring new information, behavioral patterns or abilities based on practice, study or experience
memory
retain and recall info based on
1. learning/encoding information
2. retaining information over time
3. retrieving (reactivating) information
need to learn something first, then you can remember it later!
stages of memory
remember what fruit to buy at a store vs. your sister’s favorite fruit
types of memory
facts and information vs. skills and simple associations
declarative vs non-declarative
what did you see?
visual system and ventral “what” pathway helped you identify that you saw a picture with a group of animals
but, out of sight is NOT out of mind
you can still remember the picture and you can still recall some details
sensory buffers
brief or iconic memories
ex. fleeting image of scene - different images are blurring together
initial sensory info that is held for a few milliseconds
what animals were paired?
elephants, giraffes, zebras…
remember because of short-term memory
short-term memory (STM) or working memory
ex. phone number
multiple sensory systems can be involved
30 sec to few min (rehearsal)
limited capacity (7)
intermediate-term memory
longer than STM
ex. lunch yesterday, last week
long-term memory (LTM)
enduring, near-permanent
ex. your favorite toy as a child
not perfect record, only important events to shape future behavior
strength based on emotion
“unlimited” capacity
stages of memory
encoding
consolidation
retrieval
encoding
information in sensory buffer is placed in STM
processed in hippocampus, stored in cortex
consolidation
volatile STM are converted into enduring LTM
stored in cortex
retrieval
LTM are returned to STM to be used
information does not go back to hippocampus
memories are integrated with current working memory for predictions
memories can be updated before re-consolidation into LTM, but could be “false” memories
amnesia
severe impairment of memory
studying patients with different forms of amnesia is key to so much of what we know about learning & memory!
retrograde amnesia
loss of prior memories
anterograde amnesia
inability to make new memories
patient H.M. Henry Molaison (1926-2008)
bike accident at age 7 led to severe epilepsy
in 1953, his medial temporal lobes were removed (hippocampus, most of amygdala & entorhinal cortex, some anterolateral temporal cortex)
after death, 3D reconstruction of brain
Dr. Brenda Milner studying HM
high IQ, strong cognitive skills (language, perception, reasoning) intact STM/working memory
heavy anterograde amnesia (did not form new declarative LTM)
some temporally-based retrograde amnesia
STM and LTM
different process, with declarative LTM requiring hippocampus
after LTM consolidation
retrieval does not require hippocampus
mirror tracing task
next day, did not remember task but performed better on task
procedural memory- remained in tact (could remember how to do it) and declarative memory- impaired (could not say that he had done it) have different processes
crosswords
answered pre-1953 clues (before surgery)
post-1953 information, could modify old memories with new information
re-consolidation of retrieved declarative LTM
stages of learning & memory
separate neural mechanisms for all of these processes
synaptic plasticity
adult neurogenesis
synaptic plasticity
process of changing synapses to store information
adult neurogenesis
newly-born neurons store information in synapses
synaptic plasticity- pre & postsynaptic changes at existing synapses
larger postsynaptic potential (strengthened synapse)
increased response due to a change to the presynaptic cell
larger postsynaptic potential (strengthened synapse) due to
more neurotransmitter released
more receptors
more neurotransmitter released and more receptors
synaptic plasticity- synaptic remodeling
reorganization of existing synapses
new synapses form
An action potential in neuron B would generate a ______ PSP than in neuron A
a. Smaller
b. Larger
c. The same
b. Larger
gill and siphon withdrawal reflex
disturb siphon and animal retracts gill to protect it
short-term habituation
simple “learning”
repeatedly disturb siphon, the animal stops retracting gill
sensory neurons release less neurotransmitter
long-term habituation
simple “memory”
next day if you disturb siphon, animal retracts gill
but, if you disturb repeatedly, animal stops retracting gill faster
due to loss of some synapses
True or false: Learning and memory are ALWAYS driven by increases in synaptic strength (larger/more synapses)
False- can be driven by either a decrease or increase in synaptic strength- any sort of change that is occurring
hippocampus
has highly organized circuit
perforant pathway (PP)
long-term potentiation (LTP)
perforant pathway
entorhinal cortex (input into hippocampus)-> dentate gyrus (DG)
stimulate perforant pathway at 1 Hz
get a stable response in DG cells- receive glutamate-> activates AMPA receptors- allows channel to open lets sodium into cell- depolarization- Mg2+ blocks channel
Briefly stimulate PP with a burst of electrical activity (called tetanus)
tetanus (lots of glutamate release)
depolarization causes Mg2+ to be removed from NMDA -> allows glutamate to activate NMDA receptors
stimulate PP at 1 Hz, get a larger stable response in DG cells
stimulate PP (glutamate released)
many AMPA receptors activated
NMDA receptors blocked by Mg2+
CLASS QUESTION
B
A
At point A, there are ______ AMPA receptors than point B
A. More
B. Fewer
C. The same
B. Fewer
short-term/working memory
retain and manipulate information for short time
seconds-> minutes
regions involved in forming working memory
spatial-location memory
response memory
object memory
spatial-location memory
step 1: rat chooses an arm of maze to get a treat
step 2: soon after, the rat must recognize and enter same arm to get a treat
hippocampus is necessary
hippocampal cells
cognitive map of the relative spatial organization of objects & information
place cells
place cells
encode for a specific location (but are re-assigned for a new location)
True or false: A hippocampal place cell can encode for 2 different
locations in 2 different rooms of my house.
A. True
B. False
A. True
response memory
step 1: rat placed in box 2, and turns left or right to get a treat
step 2: soon after, rat is placed in box 5 and only gets treat if turns the same way (left or right)
caudate nucleus is necessary
object memory
step 1: rat knocks over yellow object to get treat
step 2: soon after, rat must knock over the new (green, circular) box to get a treat
extrastriate visual cortex is necessary
cortex stores short-term/working memory
information about an event is distributed in the sensorimotor and prefrontal cortices
information is linked together so retrieved together
retrieval
involves hippocampus and medial temporal structures
long-term memory
declarative vs non-declarative
declarative
things you know that you can tell others
ex. the mascot of bing is Bearcat
what? facts and information
semantic & episodic
non-declarative
things you know that you can show by doing
semantic
general knowledge, ex. our mascot is bearcat
episodic
memory of specific time, place, incident, ex. HS graduation
cortex stores declarative memory
sensory systems -> hippocampus
LTM about an event is distributed in same regions as STM
information is linked to retrieved together
retrieval is direct (not via hippocampus)
nondeclarative/procedural/implicit memory
how- skills and simple associations
shown by performance
skill memory
associative/conditioning
associative/conditioning
learning relation between stimulus/response or action/consequence ex. kids finishing homework to get dessert
regions involved in forming non-declarative memory- skill memory
basal ganglia, as well as motor cortex and cerebellum
regions involved in forming non-declarative memory- associative learning
amygdala, cerebellum, striatum
What type of memory is it when a 5 year old child is learning how to
tie their shoelaces for the first time?
A. Short-term procedural memory
B. Long-term procedural memory
C. Short-term episodic memory
D. Long-term episodic memory
A. short-term procedural memory
What type of memory is it when over the course of several months a
5 year old child learns how to tie their shoelaces?
A. Short-term procedural memory
B. Long-term procedural memory
C. Short-term episodic memory
D. Long-term episodic memory
B. Long-term procedural memory
What type of memory is it when a parents tells their child about how
the parent learnt to tie their shoelaces when they were 5?
A. Short-term procedural memory
B. Long-term procedural memory
C. Short-term episodic memory
D. Long-term episodic memory
D. long-term episodic memory
