Lecture 18 Flashcards
What is the Phineas Gage case?
An accidental frontal lobotomy, which resulted in subtle personality changes.
What are the functions of the prefrontal cortex?
- personality
- planning
- moral judgement
- emotional control
What is a prefrontal lobotomy?
It is a procedure in which the surgeon cuts fibres connecting the PFC with the rest of the brain. It can be used to reduce troublesome behaviour, as well as depression
What is declarative memory?
Memory for things that can be described in words
what is episodic memory?
snapshots for life events, experiences. it allows imagining in the future
what is semantic memory?
words and their meanings, people, faces, things, concepts - in categories
What is procedural memory?
memory for how to do things
What areas are involved in declarative memory?
short term - hippocampus and other temporal lobe structures
long term - many areas of association cortex
what areas are involved in procedural memory?
short term - widely distributed
long term - basal nuclei, cerebellum, premotor cortex
What is short-term memory?
continued activity in brain circuits.
What is consolidation?
The transition of information from short- to long-term memory
What is long-term memory result in?
permanent changes in brain function / structure.
What is the transferring of memory enhanced by?
- high emotional impact
- importance for survival
- repetition
- processing
What are of the brain is involved in consolidation?
the hippocampus
What is anterograde amnesia?
inability to form new declarative memories. however, the memory of prior events remain intact.
