Memory Flashcards
Learning
Process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviours, skills, values, attitudes and preferences
Memory
Faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded stored and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of info over time for the purpose of influencing future action
Reasons to research memory
Neurodegen diseases - dementia
Improve human memory
Get rid of unwanted memories (PTSD)
Basic mechanisms
Technology to improve memory
Ageing and enhancing lifespan of memory
What systems can be used to study memory
Humans - brain imagining (london taxi drivers), average memory span
Mice - behaviour, invasive brain studies
Invertebrates - aplecia (snail), sensitisation, gene expession, calcium signalling
Computer simulations
Distinctions of memory types
Memory vs habit
Explicit vs implicit
Knowing that vs knowing how
Memory without record vs memory with record
Declarative vs procedural
Biological info
Structure to function
Explicit - hippocampal
Implicit - striatum
Neocortex
Context and perceptual learning
Amygdala
Emotional responses (PTSD)
Medial temporal lobe
Declarative memory
Patient HM - medial temporal lobe removed to cure epilepsy, could not form new memories
Frontal lobe also needed for acquisition and refinement of new memories
Task: predict weather based on 14 card combos
Cards and whether guess
AD - damage in hippocampus so cannot make associative memories
Parkinson’s - damage in striatum cannot make procedural memories
Control - gets better
AD - got better at it
Parkinson’s - didn’t not get better
Training episode eg room, person etc
AD very low memory
Parkinson’s good
Virtual reality study with flag collection
Strategies
spatial and landmarks so hippocampal activation
Non soatial eg habit like the striatal activation, caudate nucleus
So different types of memory
What strategy is VPM Essen using to memorise pi digits
Declarative - visual, cake at entrance of his house
So probably Hippocampal
Ethical considerations in memory research
Emotional memories - psychological harm
Animal experiments - regulations
Invasiveness - so imagining studies
Informed Consent , right to withdraw (Helsinki convention)
Clinical trials - no unwanted effects
Up to individual not higher authorities (eg memory deletion)
Anterograde
No new memories
Retrograde
Lose old memories
Engram cells
Memory trace
The neuronal substrate responsible for storing and recalling memories, not yet a memory but provides physical conditions for memory to emerge
Memory emerges when appropriate retrieval cues reactive engram
Activated by learning experience
Physically or chemically changed by learning experience
Deactivated by subsequent presentation of the stimuli present at the learning experience
Multiple levels of analysis to understand memory storage
Network of brain regions
Population of nucleus
Cells (spines needed)
Synapse (NTs)
Nucleus (gene expression and histones)
Morris water maze
Test learning and memory in rodents
Finds platform and learns where it is and go straight there each time after learning
Prost training prove test
Control stay in the region of platform after removal
Hippocampus lesion, doesn’t remember so spend same amount of time in each quadrant
Same with subuculum lesion and when both lesions
NMDA receptor blockade
Blocks memory (so need NMDA for memory)
Molecular mechanisms of memory
Neuronal plasticity
Long term potentiation of synaptic response
Change of synaptic connections
Post synaptic response
Change in post synaptic spine number
Studies in invertebrate systems
Aplysia
Sensitises to poke (learns to ignore)
AP decreases
No longer reacts
Synaptic plasticity: neural circuits can change following stimulation
Synapses in the hippocampus whose efficient is influenced by activity which may have occurred several hours previously
In rabbit in denate area
These procedures are invasive
Long term potentiation: a cellular and molecular model of learning and memory
In mouse (invasive)
Extract mouse brain and extract hippocampus, Cut transverse hippocampus slices and place into recording chamber and place electrodes to record post synaptic activity
Response mediated by glutamate
How does synaptic plasticity occur
AMPA and NMDA receptors
Low Neurotransmitter release only AMPA receptors open as NMDA usually blocked by magnesium ions
Increased glu AMPA and NMDA open due to AP and so magnesium moves
NMDA also permeable to calcium so intracellular calcium requirement
Hebbian plasticity
Cells fired together are wired together
need for associative firing for plasticity
Hebbian learning: Presynaptic activity is well timed with postsynaptic depol leading to postsynaptif ca2+ increase (importance of NMDA receptors)
High frequency stimulation = LTP so increase synaptic function
Low frequency firing = LTD so decrease synaptic function
Postsynaptic cell - LTP causing high calcium influx so more AMPA receptors in post synaptic membrane
LTD weak calcium increase and can only activate some phosphotases which change phosphorylation of post synaptic receptors sometimes leading to internalisation
Low frequency LTP 1 every 10 seconds to make it spike and achieve LTP with greater postsynaptic activity
Vs same condition but lower post synaptic activity causing LTD
Intrinsic properties of neurons and their make up of voltage dependent channels influence their integration of signals and plasticity
Adult neurones vs newly generated neurones
Dentate gyrus (makes new neurons here)
Demonstrated immature neurones are relatively weak TBS were able to undergo plasticity more than mature neurones
Needed for new learning and memory
Spike timed dependent plasticity
Low frequency stimulation constantly
If firing doesn’t correlated with time of post synaptic response then doesn’t cause AP so depression
Demonstrates in cortical neurones of rats (EPS constant response but EPS and APs result in increased response)
TIMING MATTERS
AP before EPSP = LTD