Learning and Memory

Question 1

What are the 2 types of memory?

Answer 1

• Declarative memory.

- Non Declarative memory.

Question 2

What are examples of declarative memory?

Answer 2

Events/Facts

-Short term, long term, working memory

Question 3

What are examples of non declarative memory?

Answer 3

Procedural Memory:

-Skills, habits and behaviours

Question 4

What is an engram?

Answer 4

Physical representation or location of a memory.

Question 5

How does an engram, reside in the brain?

Answer 5

• Brains internal representation of an object for example, consists of all the cortical neurons that are activated by stimuli associated with object.
• Engram distributed across neurons that simultaneously activated by stimuli associated with object.

Question 6

What is long term potentiation?

Answer 6

Correlated strong depolarisation = ↑ NMDA receptor activation = ↑ AMPA receptors = LTP.

Question 7

What are the cellular mechanisms with LTP?

Answer 7

• Synaptic transmission occurring at the same time as strong depolarization of the post-synaptic neuron causes LTP of the active synapses.
• Opening of many AMPA receptors leads to strong depolarization.
• Mg2+ displaced from NMDA receptors.
• ↑ activation of NMDA receptors on the postsynaptic membrane.
• Leads to ↑ in the number of AMPA receptors on postsynaptic membrane.
• More places for the glutamate to bind to.

Question 8

What is long term depression?

Answer 8

Correlated weak depolarisation = ↓ NMDA receptor activation = ↓ AMPA receptors = LTD.

Question 9

What are the cellular mechanisms with LTD?

Answer 9

• Synaptic transmission occurring at the same time as weak or modest depolarisation of the post-synaptic neuron causes LTD of the active synapses.
• Leads to ↓ activation of NMDA receptors on the postsynaptic membrane.
• Causes ↓ in the number of AMPA receptors on the postsynaptic membrane.
• Means that there are less places for glutamate to bind to.

Question 10

What are two factors involved in LTP and LDP?

Answer 10

1) Frequency of action potential discharge in presynaptic neuron.
2) Degree of simultaneous depolarization of pre and post synaptic neurons.

Question 11

What brain regions are important for memory?

Answer 11

1. Hippocampus.
2. Perirhinal Cortex.
3. Para hippocampal Cortex.
4. Entorhinal Cortex.
5. Rhinal Sulcus.

Question 12

Which of these brain regions play an important role in working memory and memory of our surrounding environment (spatial memory)?

Answer 12

Hippocampus