Remembering the Brain Flashcards
What is memory divided into?
Multiple systems, each of which is responsible for encoding, storing and retrieving information for different durations, in different capacity and with variable levels of conscious awareness
what is the time course, capacity and conscious awareness status of sensory memory?
- Time course: millseconds to seconds
- Capacity: high
- Conscious awareness: no
what is the time course, capacity and conscious awareness status of short term and working memory?
- Time course: seconds to minutes
- Capacity: limited (7 +/- 2)
Conscious awareness: Yes
what is the time course, capacity and conscious awareness status of long term declarative memory?
- Time Course: minutes to years
- Capacity: high
- Conscious awareness: no
what is the time course, capacity and conscious awareness status of long term declarative memory?
- time course: minutes to years
- capacity: high
- conscious awareness: yes
Do function and structure of brain regions match exactly?
No: a structure can participate in multiple functions and a function can rely on multiple structures
What is episodic memory?
- The result of associative learning
- the what, where, when and its of an episode (its context) are associated and bound together and can then be retrieved and reexperienced as a single episode
What is autobiographical memory?
Personal memory consisting of:
- events from personal past (like EM)
- semantic personal past (facts about oneself e.g. address)
Where is the MTL system located?
It’s a deep structure in the temporal lobe
What are the three cortical areas in the MTL system called and what is each one called?
Pari hippocampal gyrus:
- Rhinal sulcus
- Perrihinal cortex
- Parahippocampal cortex
What is the hippocampus subdivided into?
The dentate gyrus and Cornu Ammonis (CA) subfields
How does information flow within the MTL?
- information is initially collected through the perirhinal and pari hippocampal cortices
- then passes to the entorhinal cortex and ultimately reaches the hippocampus
- the cortical regions don’t just funnel information to the hippocampus, they also perform extensive information processing
What is anterograde amnesia?
Difficulties in acquiring new memories
What is retrograde amnesia?
Remembering events from before their brain injury
What was patient H.M.s main deficit and which parts of the brain did he have removed?
- bilateral medial temporal lobectomy
- could not acquire new memories
What type of amnesia does damage in the MTL produce?
anterograde amnesia and variable levels of retrograde amnesia
Which types of memory are intact when the MTL is damaged?
Short term memory/ working memory
and implicit memory