Memory And The Brain Flashcards
Cerebellum
A part of the brain located at the top of the brain stem that encodes implicit procedural memories for any motor learning requiring a level of accuracy and precision, such as tying shoelaces.
Classically conditioned responses.
Amygdala
The amygdala is essential for the formation of implicit memories but not procedural including those formed during classical conditioning (see case study) and emotional memory. The amygdala also regulates emotions such as pleasure, fear and aggression. The amygdala also has a special role in the memory for emotions shown on faces.
Declarative memory
A memory that requires conscious effort to recall that can either be episodic or sematic. Also known as explicit memory.
Explicit memory
A memory that requires conscious effort to recall that can be episodic or semantic. Also known as a declarative memory. The hippocampus is the key brain structure involved in explicit memory.
Episodic memory
A type of declarative/explicit memory that involves personal events.
Fear conditioning
A subset of implicit memory – these are unconscious/passive fear responses that tend to occur due to the amygdala.
Long term memory
The final store of memory according to the Atkinson-Shiffrin model in which an unlimited amount of information is stored for an unlimited amount of time.
Implicit memory
A memory that is unconsciously (or passively) retrieved involuntarily, for example, procedural memories or classical conditioning. The amygdala is the key structure involved in implicit memory.
Semantic memory
A type of declarative/explicit memory that consists of fact or information, for example, a memory of the city in which the previous Olympic Games were held.
Procedural memory
Procedural memory involves knowing how to do things – yet we might still nd it hard to describe how to do them.
The procedural memory system houses memory for actions, skills, operations and conditioned responses. It is very resistant to forgetting – people rarely forget how to ride a bicycle, for example. It is a type of implicit memory.
Frontal lobes
Storage, processing and encoding of procedural memories.
Episodic memory
Memory for language
Memory of motor skills tasks
Occipital lobes
Memories for pictures
Parietal lobes
Spatial memory (awareness of oneself in space)
Temporal lobes
Memories for sound
Memory for the names of colours
Basal ganglia
Long term procedural memory
Movement
The role of the cerebral cortex
Different long-term declarative memories are stored in the different cortical areas generally according to where the type of information was processed. Procedural memories are stored, processed and encoded in the frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex.
Damage to the hippocampus
People with hippocampal damage are still able to learn and remember procedural information such as motor skills or habits (bike-riding, playing table tennis). If asked, however, these people cannot remember actually performing the skill because their memory of it is declarative.
Damage to amygdala
people with a damaged amygdala are incapable of fear conditioning, indicating that this part of the brain is important for the formation of this type of memory.
Distinction between amygdala and hippocampus
The researchers tried to link responses in the participants by making a loud, unpleasant noise when a blue slide was shown to them, but no noise when a slide of a different colour was shown.
What happened to the damaged amygdala person
The participant with the damaged amygdala reacted emotionally to the loud noise and was able to tell the researchers which slide was followed by the unpleasant noise. However, when the same blue slide was presented without the loud noise, he did not react emotionally. In other words, he had no emotional memory (reflex response) associated with the blue slide and so did not react to it when it was not accompanied by the unpleasant noise.
Cerebellum and anterograde amnesia
Procedural memories are processed, encoded and stored by the cerebellum. Patients with anterograde amnesia have provided evidence for a difference between short- and long-term memory. This type of amnesia results from brain damage where there is injury to the hippocampus. Often these patients can only remember information up to the time of the head injury, although they can still carry out many procedures learnt prior to the brain damage, such as using cutlery. They can also form new procedural memories that then enable them to learn a simple skill in a ball game.
In contrast, however, these patients are unable to form new declarative memories
The role of the hippocampus
The cells of the hippocampus are able to reproduce and, therefore, enable new memories to be formed. The hippocampus is important for forming long term explicit memory and memory for complex tasks that require declarative memory; for example, a child learning to spell unfamiliar words. The hippocampus transfers declarative memory to other relevant parts of the brain for permanent storage as long-term memory, such as the lobes of the cerebral cortex.
Declarative memories
Declarative memory involves memory for facts, events and general knowledge. It generally refers to information associated with learning for school, reading, mathematics and higher order thinking, which is associated with intelligence. It includes semantic and episodic memory.
Semantic memory is memory for facts, worldly knowledge or general knowledge.
Episodic memory refers to memories of particular events and is often autobiographical, such as birthdays, your first day of school or your rst romantic kiss.
What happens to the damaged hippocampus person
The researchers tried to link responses in the participants by making a loud, unpleasant noise when a blue slide was shown to them, but no noise when a slide of a different colour was shown.
In contrast, the participant with the damaged hippocampi showed an emotional response to the noise and also to the blue slide (the conditioned stimulus) but, when asked later, could not remember which colour slide was associated with the loud noise. In other words, his brain had not consolidated declarative memory for the colour that was associated with the noise.
Consolidation theory
Consolidation theory refers to the strengthening of memories over time. A physical change must occur in the synapses for memory to be consolidated. If the process is disrupted (such as through head injury or paying attention to other things), long term memory is unlikely to form. It takes time with some researchers estimating a 30 minute period to consolidate information.
Location of hippocampus and amygdala
Medial temporal lobes
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