Neuro - memory Flashcards
what is priming
the improved ability to detect, produce or classify an item based on a recent encounter with the same or related item
what does an EEG detect when a patient is undergoing word priming and why might that be
reduction in cortical activity
could allow for faster perceptual processing
how does the hippocampus integrate information
receives highly processed information
compared against sensory cortex - barrel cortex
what does hippocampal plasticity allow for
associations to take place
what prevents LTP
a selective NMDAR antagonist
what is the main feature of NMDA receptors and why
voltage-dependent because of Mg2+ blockade
what can NMDAR act as
coincidence detectors
when does NMDAR open
only when there is glutamate release
and postsynaptic depolarisation
what is facilitation
pronounced short term plasticity
give an example of pre-synaptic short term plasticity
unitary EPSP’s are not sufficient to induce a spike in CA3 neurons but cause AP’s if impulses are delivered in bursts
the vesicles are ‘more ready for release’
plasticity-dependent detonation may be critical for what
for efficient coding, storage and information recall in the granule cell
what occurs after high frequency stimulation
full detonator mode for tens of seconds
what are the advantages of declarative memory
flexible
accessible to awareness
guides performance in multiple contexts
what is eyeblink conditioning
just before a puff of air is exerted onto eyes - inducing a blink
a beep is produced
leads to beep resulting in a blink
what conditions would impair tests such as eyeblink conditioning
cerebellar or brainstem lesions
what is the amygdala activated by
fear and strong positive emotions
critical in fear learning
how does the amygdala carry out its function
enhances memory of strong emotional events
releases stress hormones from adrenal gland
affects forebrain via vagus nerve, nucleus of the solitary tract and the locus coeruleus
what is the caudate nucleus
component of the basal ganglia
reward system
functions as part of the cortico-basal ganglia-thelamic loop
goal directed behaviour
how does disrupted hippocampal function effect the procedural habit memory of rats
and what is the difference with rats with caudal lesions
failed when they needed to acquire flexible behaviour
succeeded when they needed to respond repetitively
caudal lesions - opposite outcomes
what is the neostriatum
important for gradual feedback guided learning
results in ‘gut feeling’
what disease effects the neostriatum
parkinson’s
what happens if you repeatedly stimulate the same synapse
it gets bigger
increase in synaptic efficiency
what does the hippocampus compare its highly processed information against
compared against sensory cortex
function of the entorhinal cortex
integrates spatial information
what is the function of each hippocampal subfield
contributing to further processing of high-level information
what does hippocampal plasticity allow for
allows associations to take place
why are NMDA receptors voltage-dependant
Mg2+ blockade
what are NMDA receptors permeable to
Ca2+
