lecture 8

Question 1

what are 2 examples in the brain that show learning occurs

Answer 1

strength of response to a stimulus

more synaptic connections

Question 2

what does hebbs rule state

Answer 2

connection between 2 neurons will strengthen if they are activated in the same space and same time

Question 3

what does hebb mean by “space” in his rule?

Answer 3

neurons have to be connected with one another in some way

Question 4

what does hebb mean by “time” in his rule?

Answer 4

activation of one neuron highly correlated with activation of another

Question 5

fire together wire together hypothesis

Answer 5

there should be changes as a function of this temporal and spatial correlation that will result in fundamental change in way that the connection between the 2 neurons works

Question 6

what do we measure to measure the physiological change in neurons

Answer 6

changes in strength of EPSP

Question 7

what does reliable pairing between 2 neurons that elicit depolarization result in

Answer 7

increase strength or magnitude of EPSP

Question 8

if stimulus does not reliable produce response and depolarizing current is small, over time …?

Answer 8

strength / magnitude of EPSP decreases

aka long term depression

Question 9

what does presynaptic learning look like

Answer 9

increase in neurotransmitter release

Question 10

what does postsynaptic learning look like

Answer 10

more receptors in synapse

Question 11

why does phantom limb pain occur

Answer 11

we have a body map in our head

for example, head and hand are next to eachother in the brain so it misinterprets signals from body

there is a massive reorganization in brain after surgery to remove limb

Question 12

what was discovered about the memory of sea slugs? (3)

Answer 12

they can learn and do nonassociative learning

they have sensitization

they show habituation

Question 13

explain sensitization of sea slug through gill siphon withdrawal reflex

Answer 13

gill stays retracted for long period when theyve previously been shocked so they learned to protect themselves

Question 14

how do sea slugs show habituation

Answer 14

decrease response to stimulus following repeated representation of that stimulus (decrease in withdrawal response)

Question 15

why was it useful to study sea slugs (3)

Answer 15

they have massive neurons that are easy to see

very low number of neurons

only one synapse between neurons

Question 16

enrichment conditions for animals do what

Answer 16

affect their ability to learn

Question 17

what is an example of an enrichment condition

Answer 17

rats in cage w food and water vs rats in cage w food, water, pla spaces, engaging features, more space

Question 18

what do enrichment conditions show in terms of brain (2)

Answer 18

alterations in amount of dendrites formed

significantly more third fourth and fifth order branches (neurons making more connections)

Question 19

do musicians have different brains? how?

Answer 19

yes, they have greater thickness in some brain areas such as posterior part of frontal lobe for motor function

Question 20

whats the role of NMDA receptors in synaptic learning

Answer 20

NMDA is a post synaptic receptor that binds to glutamate

Question 21

do NMDA receptors contribute to depolarization or EPSPs themselves?

Answer 21

no

Question 22

do AMPA receptors contribute to potential?

Answer 22

yes

Question 23

how are mg ions released from nmda channel

Answer 23

if non nmda receptors depolarize the neuron first

Question 24

what does calcium trigger

Answer 24

activation of intracellular enzymes, specifically 1) can interact with AMPA channels to enhance conductance 2) can cause release of internal stores of gas

Question 25

the more AMPA channels we have, the ___

Answer 25

greater amount of depolarization

Question 26

what is CREB protein

Answer 26

activates genes relevant to how synapses work

Question 27

what is CREB key for

Answer 27

unlocking plasticity changes in brain

Question 28

what can CREB be activated by (3)

Answer 28

PKC, TK, CAMKII

Question 29

what is rolipram or PDE4

Answer 29

MAOI inhibitor used to treat depression

Question 30

whats the downside of PDE4

Answer 30

too many side effects

Question 31

what effect does PDE4 have on learning

Answer 31

learning becomes faster and more persistent

Question 32

enhancing CRED through PDE4 can create ___

Answer 32

equivalent of photographic memory