Memory & Cognition

Question 1

What is cognition?

Answer 1

Integration of all sensory information to make sense of a situation

Question 2

Which process helps with memories and learning from siutaions?

Answer 2

Neuronal plasticity

Question 3

What do the association areas in the cerebellum do?

Answer 3

Integrate information from multiple sources rather than being concerned about one specific function.

Question 4

Name the three components of the brain which are vital for learning and memory.

Answer 4

1. Hippocampus
2. Cortex
3. Thalamus

Question 5

What is the hippocampus responsible for?

Answer 5

Formation of memories

Question 6

What is the cortex responsible for?

Answer 6

Storage of memories

Question 7

What is the thalamus responsible for?

Answer 7

Searching and accessing of memories

Question 8

What does the cingulate gyrus have a role in?

Answer 8

Emotion

Question 9

Memories are formed in the limbic system. It consists of an ‘old’ and ‘new’ cortex. The old cortex makes connections with the new cortex, especially which two lobes?

Answer 9

Temporal and frontal lobes

Question 10

What is the limbic system driven by?

Answer 10

Reward or avoiding punishment e.g. eating so we don’t starve etc.

Question 11

What is the limbic system responsible for?

Answer 11

Behavioural and emotional responses

Question 12

What is meant by reward areas of the brain?

Answer 12

Parts of the brain which, when stimulated, produce intense feelings of well being, euphoria and sexual drive

Question 13

What is meant by the punishment areas of the brain?

Answer 13

Area which elicit fear, anger or pain when stimulated

Question 14

Where does all sensory information go through?

Answer 14

Hippocampus

Question 15

What happens in people with bilateral hippocampal damage?

Answer 15

They have immediate memory and intact long-term memory but unable to form new long-term memories.
Motor skills still normal.

Question 16

How long does immediate/sensory memory last?

Answer 16

A few seconds

Question 17

How quickly do visual immediate/sensory memories disappear?

Answer 17

<1second

Question 18

How quickly do auditory immediate/sensory memories disappear?

Answer 18

<4seconds

Question 19

How long does short-term memories last?

Answer 19

Seconds-hours

Question 20

What is short-term memory used for?

Answer 20

Short term tasks e.g. dialling a phone number, reading a sentence.

Question 21

How long do intermediate long-term memories last?

Answer 21

Hours to weeks

Question 22

Give an example of an intermediate long-term memory.

Answer 22

What you did last weekend

Question 23

What is intermediate long-term memory associated with?

Answer 23

Chemical adaption at the presynaptic terminal

Question 24

How long can long-term memories last?

Answer 24

Can last a lifetime

Question 25

What are long-term memories associated with?

Answer 25

Structural changes in synaptic connections

Question 26

Short term memory is an electrical phenomenon and depends on maintained excitation from reverberating circuits. Why are these reverberating circuits important?

Answer 26

Keeps the brief short term memory alive but if deemed significant, this reverberation results in consolidation of memory into long-term memory

Question 27

What happens if reverberation is disrupted?

Answer 27

Memory loss/amnesia

Question 28

Name the two types of amnesia.

Answer 28

Anterograde Retrograde

Question 29

What happens in anterograde amnesia?

Answer 29

Cannot form new memories

Question 30

What happens in retrograde amnesia?

Answer 30

Cannot access more recent old memories

Question 31

Can anterograde amnesia be resolved?

Answer 31

Depends on severity of injury causing it- may be short-lived or permanent

Question 32

How does retrograde amnesia usually present?

Answer 32

With anterograde amnesia ->those with retrograde amnesia cannot remember the events leading up to the injury

Question 33

If only the hippocampus is damaged, which type of amnesia is seen?

Answer 33

Retrograde amnesia

Question 34

As previously mentioned, intermediate long-term memory involves chemical changes in presynaptic neurons. What happens when there is increasing calcium ion entry into presynaptic terminals?

Answer 34

Increase in neurotransmitter release

Question 35

What are the three structural changes at synapses seen in long-term memory?

Answer 35

1. Increase in neurotransmitter release sites on presynaptic membrane 2. Increase in number of neurotransmitter vesicles stored and released 3. Increase in number of presynaptic terminals

Question 36

What is long term potentiation?

Answer 36

Forms basis of learning and memory, due to increased amplitude in graded membrane potential which 'strengthens the cell'

Question 37

Name the two types of long-term memory.

Answer 37

Declarative/explicit memory Procedural/reflexive/implicit memory

Question 38

What is the explicit memory used for?

Answer 38

Events, words, rules and language

Question 39

Which part of the brain does the explicit memory rely heavily on?

Answer 39

Hippocampus

Question 40

What is the implicit memory used for?

Answer 40

Motor memory for motor skills .e.g. tennis or rules e.g. driving on left

Question 41

How is implicit memory acquired?

Answer 41

Through repetition

Question 42

How is short term memory converted into long term memory?

Answer 42

Consolidation through repetition

Question 43

What does consolidation require?

Answer 43

Attention, hence why it is difficult to learn when tired

Question 44

What does memory recall depend on?

Answer 44

Significance of an event

Question 45

Which parts of the limbic system assess the significance of an event?

Answer 45

Frontal cortex and associated reward/punishment centres

Question 46

Name the points of the Papez circuit.

Answer 46

Hippocampus -> mammillary bodies -> anterior thalamus -> cingulate gyrus and then back to hippocampus etc.

Question 47

What is Korsakoff's syndrome?

Answer 47

Chronic alcoholism

Question 48

Which vitamin deficiency is seen in Korsakoff's syndrome?

Answer 48

Vitamin B1

Question 49

What does the deficiency in Korsakoff's syndrome lead to?

Answer 49

Damage of limbic system structures and the ability to consolidate a memory is impaired

Question 50

What happens in Alzheimer's?

Answer 50

Severe loss of cholinergic neurons throughout the brain, leading to gross memory impairment

Question 51

Which type of sleep is important for memory?

Answer 51

REM sleep