Memory, Learning & Amnesia Flashcards
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
the most common form of dementia in the elderly. It’s three defining characteristics are: neurofibrillary tangles, amyloid plaques, and neuron loss
What is amnesia?
any pathological loss of memory
What is the amygdala?
A structure in the anterior temporal lobe, just anterior to the hippocampus; plays a role in emotion
What is anterograde amnesia?
loss of memory for events occurring after the amnesia-inducing brain injury
What is the basal forebrain?
a midline area of the forebrain, which is located just in front of and above the hypothalamus and it is the brain’s main source of acetylcholine
What is bilateral medial temporal lobectomy?
the removal of the medial portions of both temporal lobes, including the hippocampus, the amygdala and the adjacent cortex
What is a CA1 subfield?
a region of the hippocampus that is commonly damaged by cerebral ischemia
What is a cerebellum?
a metencephalic structure that is thought to participate in the storage of memories of learned sensorimotor skills
What are concept cells?
cells, such as those found in the medial temporal lobe, that respond to ideas or concepts rather than to particulars. Also known as Jennifer Aniston neurons
What is a delayed nonmatching-to-sample test?
a test in which the subject is presented with an sample object and then, after a delay, is presented with a choice between the sample object and an unfamiliar object, where the correct choice is the unfamiliar object. The animal must remember the sample object so it can choose the other object
What are dendritic spines?
tiny protrusions of various shapes that are located on the surfaces of many dendrites
What is digit span?
the longest sequence of random digits that can be repeated correctly 50 percent of the time - most people have a digit span of 7
What is dual-trace theory?
the theory that memories are temporarily stored in the hippocampus until they can be transferred to a more stable cortical storage system. Also known as the standard consolidation theory
What is a electroconvulsive shock (ECS)?
an intense, brief, diffuse, seizure-inducing current administered to the brain via large electrodes attached to the scalp
What is an engram?
a change in the brain that stores a memory
What are engram cells?
neurons that maintain an engram
What is the entorhinal cortex?
an area of the medial temporal cortex that is a major source of neural signals to the hippocampus
What are episodic memories?
explicit memories for the particular events and experiences of one’s life
What are explicit memories?
conscious memories
What is global amnesia?
amnesia for information presented in all sensory modalities
What is global cerebral ischemia?
an interruption of blood supply to the entire brain
What is glutamate?
the most prevalent excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS
What are grid cells?
entorhinal neurons that each have an extensive array of evenly spaced place fields, producing a pattern reminiscent of graph paper
What is the hippocampus?
a structure in the medial temporal lobes that plays a role in various forms of memory
What are implicit memories?
memories that are expressed by improved performance without conscious recall or recognition
What is the incomplete-pictures test?
a test of a memory measuring the improved ability to identify fragmented figures that have been previously observed
What is infantile amnesia?
the normal inability to recall events from early childhood
What is the inferotemporal cortex?
the cortex of the inferior temporal lobe, in which is located an area of secondary visual cortex
What are Jennifer Aniston neurons?
neurons, such as those found in the medial temporal lobe, that respond to ideas or concepts rather than to particulars. Also known as concept cells
What is Korsakoff’s syndrome?
a neuropsychological disorder that is common in alcoholics and whose primary symptoms include memory loss, sensory and motor dysfunction, and, in its advanced stages, severe dementia
What is learning?
the brain’s ability to change in response to experience
What is a lobectomy?
an operation in which a lobe, or major part of one, is removed from the brain
What is a lobotomy?
an operation in which a lobe, or major part of one, is separated from the rest of the brain by a large cut but is not removed
What is long-term depression (LTD)?
a long-lasting decrease in synaptic efficacy (the flip side of LTP) that occurs in response to prolonged low-frequency stimulation of presynaptic neurons
What is long-term memory?
memories for experiences that endues after the experiences are no longer the focus of attention
What is long-term potentiation (LTP)?
the enduring facilitation of synaptic transmission that occurs following activation of synapses by high-intensity, high-frequency stimulation of presynaptic neurons
What is medial diencephalic amnesia?
amnesia that is associated with damage to the medial diencephalon (e.g., Korsakoff’s amnesia)
What is the medial temporal cortex?
cortex in the medial temporal lobe that lies adjacent to the hippocampus and amygdala
What is medial temporal lobe amnesia?
amnesia associated with bilateral damage to the medial temporal lobes; its major features are anterograde and retrograde amnesia for explicit memories, with preserved intellectual functioning
What is the mediodorsal nuclei?
a pair of thalamic nuclei, damage to which is thought to be responsible for many of the memory deficits associated with Korsakoff’s syndrome
What is memory?
the brain’s ability to store and access the learned effects of experiences
What is memory consolidation?
the transfer of short-term memories to long-term storage
What is metaplasticity?
the modulation of long term potentiation (LTP) and/or long-term depression (LTD) induction by prior synaptic activity
What is the Morris water maze test?
a widely used test of spatial memory in which rats must learn to swim directly to a platform hidden just beneath the surface of a circular pool of murky water
What is a mumby box?
an apparatus that is used in the rat version of the delayed nonmatching-to-sample test
What is an NMDA receptor?
glutamate recptors that play key roles in the development of stroke-induced brain damage and long-term potentiation at glutaminergic synapses
What are nootropics?
drugs that purportedly improve memory
What are place cells?
neurons that respond only when the subject is in specific locations (i.e. in the place fields of the neurons)
What is posttraumatic amnesia (PTA)?
amnesia produced by a nonpenetrating head injury (a blow to the head that does not penetrate the skull)
What is the prefrontal cortex?
the areas of the frontal cortex that are anterior to the frontal motor areas
What is the pyramidal cell layer?
one of the major layers of cell bodies in the hippocampus
What is the radial arm maze test?
a widely used test of rats’ spatial ability in which the same arms are baited on each trial, and the rats must learn to visit only the baited arms once per trial
What is a reference memory?
memory for the general principles ad skills that are required to perform a task
What is a remote memory?
memory for experiences in the distant past