Lecture 2- Learning and Memory I Flashcards

1
Q

What are the disorders involving deficits in learning and memory?

A

-autism, attention deficit disorder, down syndrome -depression, schizophrenia, addiction -alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Huntington’s disease

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What did the patient experience when a) the somatosensory b) associated motor and c) auditory cortex were stimulated during a neurosurgery?

A

a) tingling in the left thumb b) protrusion of the tongue c) hears specific orchestral music

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What area of the brain is responsible for face recognition?

A

-fusiform face area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What happened to patient H.M.?

A

-severe anterograde amnesia -bilateral resection of medial structures of the temporal lobe to treat severe epilepsy -profound impairment of recent memory in absence of other intellectual loss (IQ 112 post-surgery) -could not remember what he had for breakfast, find his way around a hospital or recognise anyone he had met since the surgery -MRI reveals medial temporal lobe lesion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Why couldn’t H.M. remember anything new?

A

-able to hold immediate impressions in his mind but as soon as his attention was diverted they were lost -could remember childhood -the transport from short term to long term memory no longer active due to absence of the hippocampi

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is the story with H.M. and the star test?

A

-proved unconscious (procedural) memory -did the test and improved over time despite not being able to recollect doing the task before

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

How do we classify memory?

A
  1. declarative (explicit): facts and events, hippocampus, medial temporal lobe;diencephalon
  2. nondeclarative (implicit)
    a) skills and habits= striatum, motor cortex, cerebellum
    b) priming= neocortex
    c) basic associative learning i) emotional responses= amygdala ii) skeletal musculature= cerebellum
    d) nonassociative learning= reflex pathways
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What were the experimental results concerning the London cab drivers?

A

-structural MRI showed enlarged posterior hippocampi in London cabbies compared to non drivers -evidence that changes in hippocampal grey matter are acquired with experience

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are the three NMDA receptor subtypes?

A
  1. NR1
  2. NR2A
  3. NR2B
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What happened to the mice that had the NMDA gene inactivated?

A

-control= inbred, don’t differ much genetically -mutant= inactivated gene for something, the NMDA receptor protein removed from hippocampus -wild= normal when platform dropped, wild knows it should be there, mutant doesn’t, no memory of it

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What does the hippocampus do?

A

-stores memories and converts them from short to long term memories

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What does recording neuron activity show?

A
  • short term changes= fast
  • long term changes= slow
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

PIC4How does NMDA change from childhood to adulthood?

A

-shift to N2RA subunit after development -at first increased N2RB when increased capacity for learning then shifts to N2RA

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What happens in mice where the young version of NMDA is maintained (N2RB)?

A

-smart mice -the increased ability for learning remains

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

How is synaptic strength affected in mutant mice with NR2B?

A

-when NR2B then strong synaptic connection= more extended developmental form of learning

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Is the young brain more plastic?

A

-yes -grey matter decreases throughout life -not fully developed until mid twenties

17
Q

Where are memories stored?

A

-medial temporal lobe: hippocampus

18
Q

What is involved in short term memory storage?

A

-insertion of AMPA receptors, phosphorylation, enhanced presynaptic release via retrograde signalling (short-term memory)

19
Q

What is involved in long-term memory storage?

A

-protein synthesis, structural changes (long-term memory)

20
Q

What happens in the brain during exercise?

A

-release of growth factors (e.g. BNDF) and generation of new neurons -improvements in mood and memory -increased blood flow to brain -elevated mood -increased birth of new neurons? improves learning and memory?

21
Q

How does early physical exercise affect stroke outcomes?

A

-improves it -very early rehabilitation (less than 24 hours) with an emphasis on mobilisation may contribute to improved outcomes following stroke -50% of patients who exercise early are back on their feet within 3 days

22
Q

How does the surrounding environment affect brain function?

A

-environment changes brain function -mental stimulation and physical activity delays huntington’s alzheimers -more complex environment helps

23
Q

How do you translate theories developed on mice into treatments for humans?

A

genetic studies= use genetically modified mice= test novel therapies (environmental, new drugs)= clinical trials