Lecture 4- Learning & Memory 2 Flashcards
What is nondeclarative, or procedural, memory, and what kinds of information fall under this category?
Nondeclarative, or procedural, memory includes unconsciously acquired and retrieved information, such as motor skills, classical conditioning, priming effects, and puzzle solving skills.
Phylogenetic Memory
Iherited genetic knowledge and instincts passed down through generations of a species.
Priming Effect
exposure to one stimulus influences the response to another stimulus, often leading to increased accessibility or processing speed of related information.
Skinner Box
The most common method for studying operant conditioning, involved placing a rodent in a controlled environment to study how they learn behaviors through rewards and punishments
A clinical case study of H.M.’s brain after a bilateral medial temporal lobe resection (removal of amygdala, uncus, hippocampal gryus, anterior two-third of hippocampus) revealed impairment to what type of memory?
A.) anterograde
B.) retrograde
C.) nondeclarative
D.) Both A and B
A.) anterograde; inability to form new memories after an event or injury, while past memories remain intact.
A clinical case study of K.C.’s brain after bilateral hippocampal and parahippocampal damage revealed impairment to what type of memory?
A.) anterograde
B.) retrograde
C.) nondeclarative
D.) Both A and B
D) Anterograde and retrograde. He was unable to retrieve personal memories from his past (retrograde amnesia) and also unable to form new episodic memories (anterograde amnesia) after his accident. However, his ability to form new semantic memories and learn new skills was preserved.
What is the role of the limbic circle in memory?
The limbic circle is a neural circuit that connects various brain centers, including the hippocampus, amygdala, and thalamus, crucial for forming declarative memories.
What function does the fornix serve in the limbic system?
The fornix is a fiber tract that carries information from the hippocampus to the mammillary bodies, facilitating memory formation.
What is a characteristic of short-term memory in terms of stability?
Short-term memory is labile, meaning it is sensitive to disruption.
What are the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain?
Neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques, particularly dense in the hippocampus, are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, indicating neuron degradation.
How does the Morris water maze demonstrate the role of the hippocampus in memory?
The Morris water maze shows that the hippocampus is essential for spatial learning and memory in rodents, as damage to this area impairs the ability to navigate the maze
How is the protein Arc involved in synaptic plasticity?
Arc binds to the cytoskeletal protein actin in dendritic spines, playing a key role in synaptic plasticity and memory processes like long-term potentiation (LTP).
Does short-term memory require new RNA or protein synthesis?
No, short-term memory does not require new RNA or protein synthesis.
What does it mean for long-term memory to be consolidated?
Consolidation means that long-term memory becomes insensitive to disruption over time.
Does long-term memory formation involve new RNA or protein synthesis?
Yes, long-term memory formation requires new RNA or protein synthesis
Amygdala Functions
1)Emotional memory
2) Motor Response
3) Decision Making
4) Social Cognition
5) Awareness
6) Salience Detection
Where is the hippocampus located in relation to the lateral ventricle?
The hippocampus is located on the medial wall of the lateral ventricle.
Which nerve fibers are located proximal to the mammillary body?
The optic nerve fibers are located proximal to the mammillary body.
Pathway of the Trisynaptic Circuit
- Granule cells in dentate gyrus send axons (mossy fibers) to excite CA3 pyramidal cells.
- CA3 pyramidal cells send axons (Schaffer collaterals) to contact neurons in CA1.
- CA1 pyramidal cells continue relaying information to other limbic system and cortical regions, facilitating information processing within the hippocampal circuitry.
Explain the Hippocampus Circuity
Information enters the hippocampus from the entorhinal cortex, which includes the medial and lateral entorhinal cortex.
The subiculum acts as a relay station, forwarding information from the entorhinal cortex to the hippocampus proper.
Information from the dentate gyrus travels to the CA3 region through mossy fibers and then to CA1 via Schaffer collaterals.
Processed information exits the hippocampus through a structure called the fimbria of the fornix and connects with other brain regions in the limbic system, such as the amygdala.
Where does the hippocampus receive its information from?
The hippocampus receives its information from the entorhinal cortex, including both the medial and lateral entorhinal cortex.
What role does the subiculum play in the hippocampal circuitry?
The subiculum acts as a relay station, sending information from the entorhinal cortex to the rest of the hippocampus.
How is information transmitted within the hippocampus?
Information is transmitted from the dentate gyrus to the CA3 region via mossy fibers and then to CA1 via Schaffer collaterals.
How does information processed in the hippocampus reach other brain regions?
Processed information exits the hippocampus through the fimbria of the fornix and links to other regions in the limbic system, such as the amygdala.