Learning and Memory Flashcards
What are the two types of memory?
declarative and procedural memory
what are the anatomical substrates involved in procedural memory?
the cerebellum and the nucleus accumbens
where are habits stored?
in the nucleus accumbens
what are the two subdivisions of declarative memory?
episodic and semantic
what is episodic memory?
memory of events
what is semantic memory?
memory of words, language, and rules
how long is short term memory?
seconds to hours
how long is long term memory?
years
what is working memory?
recalling a fact for use in a test question; you’ve learned it, now youre retrieving it for use
the production of memory and learning requires the induction of what?
neuronal and synaptic plasticity
what are two forms of changes in synaptic functioning?
post-tetanic potentiation and long-term potentiation
what is plasticity?
alterations in the CNS based on use
what does post-tetanic stimulation result from?
there is a brief high frequency discharge of a presynaptic that produces an increase in NT release that lasts about 60 seconds
what is the mechanism of post-tetanic stimulation?
the high level of stimulation allowed more calcium to enter the terminal than can be “dealt” with–> the [Ca2+] concentration in the pre-synaptic terminal stays higher longer
what happens when there is more Ca2+ in the presynaptic terminal?
there is more Ca to bind to the docking proteins, which means that there will be more NT release
what is the result of post tetanic stimulation?
greater NT release and a greater probability of action potentials in the post-synaptic cell
what is long-term potentiation?
a series of changes in the pre and post synaptic neurons of a synapse
How long do long-term potentiation changes last?
more than 30 minutes
what does long term potentiation begin with?
more calcium in the post-synaptic terminal
what happens once calcium is inside the cell?
it binds with calmodulin
what happens once calcium binds with calmodulin?
there will be an increase in adenyl cyclase/ cAMP
what happens when there is an increase in cAMP?
the AMPA receptor will be phosphorylated
what happens when the AMPA receptor is phosphorylated?
we allow greater sodium influx to response to the same binding of the EAA–> we get more depolarization
what is activated when calcium enters the cell?
nitric oxide synthase (NOS)
what does NOS produce?
NO
what is the effect of the NO production in the post synpatic cell?
the NO will diffuse across the synapse, back into the presynaptic cell and increase cGMP
what is the effect of the increased cGMP in the presynaptic cell?
this leads to an increase in the amount of NT released
what does increased cAMP cause a gene transcription of?
increase of CREB
what leads to the changes in the structures of the neurons?
CREB
where does neuronal plasticity take place?
in both the pre and post synaptic cells
what are the proteins produced during neuronal plasticity?
NT synthetic enzymes (I can make more NT), NT receptors, proteins required for growth/synapse formation
forming new memories and learning can be blocked by what?
blocking protein synthesis
creating a declarative/explicit memory requires what 4 steps?
encoding, storage, consolidation, and retrieval
what is associated with encoding of information?
focus, attention, and emotion
What are the anatomical substrates involved in short term memory?
hippocampus, parahippocampal cortex, and prefrontal cortex
what connects the neocortex to the amygdala?
the nucleus basalis of Meynert
what physiologically creates our short term memories?
long-term potentiation
what is consolidation?
it is the process of making a memory permanent
what does consolidation involve?
physical changes in synaptic structure
what anatomical structures does consolidating a memory from short-term to long-term require?
hippocampus, temporal lobes, and the papez circuit
where do we store factual information?
temporal lobes
to make a synapse permanent, what must i do and how do i do this?
i have to reuse that synapse over and over again. I do this through the Papez circuit
What is involved in the papez circuit?
the hypothalamus, the anterior thalamus, the cingulate cortex, and the hippocampus
Where are long-term memories stored?
in the area of the cortex related to the modality of the individual components
what does recalling a memory or reassembling a memory require? anatomically
the neocortex, the parahippocampal regions, and the hippocampus
where is the information related to each component of the memory i’m trying to recall sent to first?
to the parahippocampal region first
where is the entire memory reconstructed?
in the hippocampus
where is the memory sent once the hippocampus reconstructs it?
back out to the parahippocampus and then to the pre frontal cortex
what happens if a patient has damage to the parahippocampus?
the memory can still be retrieved, but it will “die out” much sooner than expected
what is involved in working memory/ using retrieved memories?
the three component model
what makes up the three component model?
the central executive, the phonological loop, and the visuospatial loop
what acts as the central executive in the brain?
the prefrontal cortex
what acts as the phonological loop?
broca’s and wernicke’s area
what acts as the visuospatial loop?
the occipital cortex associated with vision
What does the hippocampus use as an anchor for the reconstruction of memory?
place cells
what type of cells are place cells and where are they located?
pyramidal cells located in CA1
what inputs do place cells receive?
grid cells, head direction cells, and border neurons
where are grid cells located?
in the entorhinal cortex
what is the final mediator of spatial memory?
place cells
