Learning and Memory

Question 1

What is procedural memory?

Answer 1

Aka: implicit memory, non declarative memory, reflexive memory Skills and habits that have been used so much they’re automatic Motor skills come from cerebellum while habits come from nucleus accumbens

Question 2

Declarative Memory?

Answer 2

Aka Explicit memory, conscious recognition recollection of learned facts and experiences

• Episodic: memory of events
• Semantic: memory of words language and rules

Question 3

Working memory?

Answer 3

Recalling a fact or memory for use, may be a subset of short term, physiologically similar to short term

Question 4

What is Plasticity and how does it occur?

Answer 4

• Alterations in the CNS based on use
  
  • might be synaptic fxn that is altered
  • might be changes in physical structure of neurons such as more synapses or branches

Question 5

What are the two main forms of plasticity and their subsets?

Answer 5

• Changes in synaptic functioning
  
  • Post-tetanic potentiation
  • Long term Potentiation
• Changes in structure of neurons
  
  • gain or loss of synapses
  • structural chagnes in dendrites
  • changes in soma

Question 6

What is Post tetanic potentiation?

Answer 6

• Brief high frequency discharge of presyn neuron
• Produces increase in NT release that lasts 60 seconds
• increase probability of AP in post synaptic cell

Question 7

How does post tetanic stimulation work?

Answer 7

• High level of stimmulation allowed more calcium to enter the terminal than it could handle. It is temporarily overwhelmed, so there is more Ca to bind docking proteins causing more NT release

Question 8

Long term potentiation?

Answer 8

• Series of changes in pre and post synaptic neurons of synapse that leads to increased response to released NT
• usually follows a strong stimulation
• EAA induces LTP (others can too)

Question 9

How does LTP work?

Answer 9

• More calcium is in post synaptic neuron due to NMDA and non NMDA receptors
• Calcium activates calcineurin activating NOS to increase NO which goes back to presyn cell increasing cGMP resulting in more NT release
• Increase gene transcription related to CREB
• Calcium also binds calmodulin increaseing AC and cAMP resulting in phosphorylation of AMPA receptor allowing more Na in

Question 10

What is link between LTP and changing structure of neurons?

Answer 10

CREB bc it results in gene transcription

Question 11

How can forming new memories or learning be blockedc?

Answer 11

jBlocking protein synthesis

Question 12

What four steps are needed for creating declarative memory?

Answer 12

1. Encoding
2. Storage of info
3. Consolidation
4. Retrieval

Question 13

Describe encoding.

Answer 13

• Attending to new information
• Linking it to old memories
• Emotion is important

Question 14

Describe storage.

Answer 14

• Retention of info over time
  
  • short term used initally
  • long term capacity not limited

Question 15

What are the anatomical structures for short term memory?

Answer 15

• hippocampus
• parahippocampal cortex
• pregrontal cortex

Question 16

What process creates short term memories?

Answer 16

LTP

Question 17

What is the “temporary storehouse for memory”?

Answer 17

Short term memory

Question 18

Consolidation?

Answer 18

Making a memory permanent by changing synaptic structures

Question 19

What structures does consolidation require?

Answer 19

Hippocampus and temporal lobes and Papez circuit

Question 20

Describe the papez circuit

Answer 20

• Hypothalamus/Mammillary bodies: physical responses
• Anterior thalamus: sensory info coming in
• Cingulate cortex: emotion
• Hippocampus: short term memory

Question 21

How do we consolidate memory from short to long term?

Answer 21

Create long term potentiation and repeatedly activating the synapses that are involved in the memory (the papez circuit!)

• repeatedely goes through papez circuit setting up conditions required to induce LTP and neuronal plasticity back to the cortex
• eventually limbic system isn’t needed for the memory

Question 22

What structures does the retrieval process require?

Answer 22

• Neocortex
• Parahippocampal region
• Hippocampus

Question 23

Where are specific memories such as visual, smell, or auditory stored?

Answer 23

Long term memories are stored in the area of cortex releated to the modality of the memory

• Ex: visual stored in visual cortex

Question 24

During retrieval process information related to each compoenent of meory is sent to the ___. Then to___ and back to ___.

Answer 24

• Parahippocampal region
• the hippocampus
• Back through parahippocampal region to cortex

Question 25

Why does memory travel back through the parahippocampal cortex?

Answer 25

Important in prolonging the life of cortical trace of the memory

Question 26

What is the three component model of working memory?

Answer 26

1. Central executive: IDing what you need
2. Phonological loop: words and rules needed
3. Visuospatial loop: visual memories

All feed to central executive!

Question 27

What areas of the brain can the three component model pieces be found?

Answer 27

• Centarl executive prefrontal
• Phonological loop brocas and wernikes
• Visuospatial loop occipital cortex associated with vision

Question 28

What is spatial memory?

Answer 28

• Detailed memory of space is stored in the hippocmapus using special pyramidal cells in CA1 known as Place cells
• Spatial map serves as an anchor for reconstruction of memory

Question 29

What inputs do the place cells recieve?

Answer 29

Place cells are high order neurons active only at specific places

• Grid cells in the entorhinal cortex that create a map of place you are in, triagnonal or hexagonal grid
• Head direction cell
  
  • fire when you remember what direction you turned in
• Border cell: fire at borders