Other #4 Cognition II, Consciousness Flashcards
Definition of memory
- Nervous system acquires new information
- Retain this new information over time
- Use this information to guide behaviors and plan future actions
Definition of Learning
- New information is acquired and is observable through changes in behavior
Temporal memory is based on?
Time course
Immediate
- Hold ongoing experiences in the mind for a fraction of a second
- Large Capacity
Each sensory modality is thought to have own?
semi-independent “memory register”
Working (short-term)
- Hold and manipulate information for seconds to minutes while it is used to achieve a particular goal
- Limited capacity & duration
Long Term
- Retain information in a more permanent form of storage for days, weeks, or even a lifetime
Qualitative memory is based on?
Nature of information
Declarative (Explicit)
Refers to conscious memory
- Episodic: Memory of events (vacation)
- Semantic: Memory of facts (words)
Non-Declarative (Implicit)
Memory expressed through performance independently of consciousness
Priming
A change in the processing of a stimulus due to a previous encounter with the same stimulus
exp: completing a word fragment with a previously read word
Skill Learning
- A gradual improvement in performance due to repeated practicing
exp: riding a bicycle
Conditioning
- Simple responses to associations between stimuli
exp: Ori associating me putting on shoes as leaving
Engram
- Memory trace: the physical embodiment of any memory in neuronal machinery
Encoding
- Experience can alter the nervous system, alternations known as memory traces
Acquisition
- Physical modification of the brain caused by incoming sensory information
- Modification of synaptic transmission
Consolidation
- Immediate and working memories become long-term memories
- Temporary synaptic modifications are made more permanent
- Gene expression and protein synthesis
Storage
- Retention of the memory traces over time
Retrieval
- Accessing the stored memory traces
- Most effective with a retrieval cue
All the forms of memory, including non-declarative memory depends on?
- Changes in Neuronal connectivity
- Strength of Synaptic transmission
Forgetting
- the ability to forget unimportant information may be critical for normal life
Anatomical Structures for working memory
- Prefrontal cortex
- Posterior Parietal cortex
- Animals with lesions have difficulty with delayed response tasks
Anatomical Structure for Encoding
Hippocampus
- Animals with lesions are unable to remember a task
Anatomical Structure for Storage
Cerebral Cortex
- Animals with large cortical lesions have decreased memory
Anatomical Structure for Rerieving
Association Cortices - primarily frontal (Anterior multimodal association cortex)
Anatomical Structure for Non-Declarative Memory (5)
Basal Ganglia, Prefrontal cortex, amygdala, Sensory association cortices, cerebellum
Lesions involving connections between basal ganglia and prefrontal cortex
- Impaired ability to learn new motor skills
Function of Memory
- Learn from the past
- Understand the present
- plan for the future
All cognitive abilities depend on?
memory
Amnesia
- loss of memory following a neurological insult
- Anterograde: Inability to establish new memories following insult
- Retrograde: Inability to retrieve memories prior to insult
Language comes into our brains through?
Visual and auditory systems
Definition of Language
Ability to associate symbols with specific meanings to express thoughts and emotions
Definition of Speech
Audible form of communication built on the sounds that human produce
Phonems
Fundamental speech sounds
Words
Combination of Phonemes
Sentences
Sequences of words that express a thought
Grammar
words are properly formed and combined in any given language
Syntax
combinations of grammatically correct words and phrases
Prosody
Emotional and tonal components of language
Pathway of Speech Production
- Exhalation of air
- Air flow through the glottis between vocal folds
- Sounds Produced by Vibrations in Tightened Vocal Folds
- Sound is modified at stages of the Vocal Tract (Pharynx, Mouth, Nose)
- Change in the position of the soft palate, tongue, and lips Modulate Sound for Speech
Dysarthria
- Motor speech disorder, resulting from impaired movement of the muscles used for speech
Theory of Universal Grammar
- All languages share some basic rules, existing in the neural circuitry
- There is a language gene
Theory of Connectionist
- Framework for the organization of words based on associations
Anatomical Structures for production of language
- Broca’s Area
Anatomical Structures for Comprehension of Language
- Wernicke’s Area
Lateralization
- L Hemisphere = phonetic, word, sentences
- R hemisphere = expression & comprehension of the affective aspects of speech
Function of language
Communication
Aphasia
Inability to produce and comprehend language
Broca’s Aphasia
- Inability to produce language efficiently
- Cannot express themselves fluently
- Impaired ability to express
Wernicke’s Aphasia
- Inability to comprehend language
- difficulty to put together objects or ideas
Alexia
- Inability to read, lesion from visual cortex to the left angular gyrus
Agraphia
- Inability to write, lesion of the frontal and/or parietal cortex
Definition of Executive Function
- Complex cognitive processing requiring several subprocesses to achieve a goal
Anatomical structure for executive function
Prefrontal cortex
Prefrontal cortex receives input from?(7)
- Secondary sensory cortices
- Parietal cortex
- Primary sensory cortices
- Thalamus
- Amygdala
- Ventral tegmental area of the midbrain
- Hippocampus
Prefrontal cortex projects to?
- Basal ganglia
- Premotor cortex
- Primary motor cortex
Function of executive functions
- Support the flexible control of goal-directed behavior
- Maintaining an individual’s personality
A lesion of the lateral prefrontal cortex
- dysexecutive syndrome
- poor initiation to plan, limited attention, difficulty interacting with others
A lesion of the ventral and medial prefrontal cortex
- disinhibition syndrome
- constant movement, manic sense of humor, inappropriate social situations
What are the two components of Consciousness
- Content
- Level
Content of consciousness
substrate upon which consciousness acts
Level of consciousness
- Alertness
- Attention
- Awareness of self and environment
A patient’s level of consciousness is defined in terms of?
responses to stimuli
Coma
Unconsciousness and unresponsiveness
Stupor
unresponsiveness with arousal occuring from repeated stimuli
Obtundity
State of sleep, reduced alertness, delayed responses to stimuli
Delirium
Disorientation, confusion
Clouding of Consciousness
Quiet behavior, confusion, poor attention, delayed response
Conscious
Alert, aware, memory
