Temporal Lobe

Question 1

What is required to store memories?

Answer 1

Synaptic plasticity

Question 2

Define long term potentiation?

Answer 2

Increase in the efficiency of a specific synapse which results from activity at the specific synapse

Question 3

State the exact synaptic location memory occurs, and describe the impulse route?

Answer 3

Input from the entorinhal cortex goes to the hippocampus (dentate gyrus) and from here mossey fibres carry impulses to CA3 cells and from here to CA1 cells.
The synapse between CA3 and CA1 is where memory occurs

Question 4

Name the three things required for long term potentiation to occur?

Answer 4

Glutamate (neurotransmitter)
Ca 2+
NMDA receptors (has Mg 2+ in channel pore)

Question 5

How are NMDA receptors unblocked?

Answer 5

Glutamate neurotransmitter enters the cell via metabotrophic AMPA receptors and depolarises the cell. This depolarisation leads to the Mg2+ ion ‘popping out’ of the NMDA pore and allowing Ca 2+ to influx

Question 6

What occurs immediately after co-incidence activation of NMDA receptors?

Answer 6

Ca 2+ causes a chain reaction leading to more AMPA receptors being placed on the synaptic membrane and therefore depolarisation next time will occur more easily

Question 7

What can inhibit memory formation and LTP?

Answer 7

Blocking protein synthesis

Question 8

In terms of neurotransmitters describe the affect of Alzheimer’s disease?

Answer 8

Over-activation of glutamate

Under-activation of Ach

Question 9

Describe temporal love epilepsy?

Answer 9

Some temporal lobe neurones have a low threshold for ‘deranged synchronisation’ this can lead to seizures

Question 10

In the limbic system where does ‘emotional colouring’ occur?

Answer 10

Neocortex

Question 11

In the limbic system where is ‘emotional experience’ located?

Answer 11

Cingulate cortex

Question 12

Describe primary progressive aphasia?

Answer 12

Fronto-temporal atrophy, with speech as a-grammatical and non-fluent

Question 13

Describe expressive/Broca’s aphasia and where do lesions occur?

Answer 13

Typically caused by stroke (MCA) characterised by non-fluent and a-grammatical speech
Left frontal lobe

Question 14

Describe Wernicke’s/receptive aphasia and where do lesions occur?

Answer 14

Can speak the language but can’t understand

Posterior temporal lobe damage

Question 15

Describe conductive aphasia and where does damage occur?

Answer 15

Damage to the superior longitudinal fasiculas (arcuate fasiculus) that connects Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas. Fluent speech with lots of filler words but can’t repeat words on command

Question 16

Where is word visualisation comprehended?

Answer 16

Angular gyrus