Memory and Learning Flashcards
Where is memory stored?
medial temporal lobe - hippocampus
What are the two types of long-term memory?
declarative (explicit) and nondeclarative (implicit)
What is nondeclarative (implicit) memory?
unconscious forms: skills and habits (writing, typing, musical instruments); priming; basic associative learning (emotional responses, skeletal musculature); nonassociative learning (reflexes)
What is declarative (explicit) memory?
Semantic (facts) and episodic (events)
What is the significance of the dentate gyrus?
part of hippocampus that contains adult neural stem cells and progenitors that generate neurons throughout life
What is the significance of the NMDA receptor in learning and memory?
glutamate receptor in the hippocampus for laying down spatial memory; if the invariant NR1 subunit (NR2 A and NR2B subunits not present in all receptors) is knocked out memory is lost and new learning is inhibited; if the NR2B (more common in young/developmental function) is upregulated learning is accentuated through enhanced synaptic plasticity
How are memories encoded?
as part of distributed circuits which can be reactivated with memory retrieval eg visual areas in fMRI
How is memory processed?
information is taken in (visual, sensory) and processed in the prefrontal cortex (attention), which is then consolidated in the hippocampus (generating LTM)
What is thought to be the basis of storing long-term memories in the brain?
late long-term potentiations in response to repetitive increased frequency stimuli; it is a strong form of synaptic plasticity
What is required at the molecular level to lay down new memories?
production of new proteins to change synapses (eg NR2B subunit of NMDA receptor for plasticity in children)
What is the significance of the AMPA receptor in short-term memory storage?
glutamate receptor (partly regulated by NMDA) involved in synaptic plasticity - extra AMPA receptors are inserted associated with LTP/synaptic plasticity; can signal presynaptic release
What changes occur to store memory in the long term?
protein synthesis, structural changes eg formation of new synapses
How is exercise related to the brain?
release of growth factors (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), improvements of mood and memory, increased blood flow, neurogenesis, possible enhancement of synaptic plasticity
