The Biology of Memory Flashcards
Changes within neurons temporarily alter their ability to release neurotransmitters in…
-STM
Lasting changes structurally in the brain are involved in…
-LTM
A biological mechanism of LTM, Long-Term Potentiation is…
-A long-lasting increase of strength in synaptic responsiveness
What happens during the process of long-term potentiation?
-dendrites grow and branch outm and some types of synapses increase in number, while some neurons become less responsive
Does LTM develop immediately?
-no, it takes time for neural and synaptic changes in the brain to fully develop
Define: consolidation
-process in which a memory becomes stable and durable
What part of the brain is involved in the formation, consolidation, and retrieval of emotional or fearful events?
-amygdala
What parts of the brain are active during short-term and working memory tasks?
-areas in the frontal lobe
What parts of the brain are important in efficient encoding of pictures and words?
- areas in prefrontal cortex
- areas adjacent to hippocampus (temporal lobes)
What part of the brain is critical in the formation and retrieval of declarative memories (knowing that)?
-hippocampus
What is another important role of the hippocampus?
-recalling past experiences
Procedural memories (knowing that) have something to do with activity in…
-cerebellum
Are there separate systems in the brain for explicit and implicit tasks?
-yes
Brain circuits that take part in _______ and ______ of memories in LTM are not the same as those involved in LTM _______
- formation, retrieval
- storage
What allows memory to be retrieved as one coherent entity, even though the aspects of a memory are stored at different cortical sites (smell, sound, appearance, etc.)?
-because the hippocampus somehow binds together all of these aspects of memory at its formation
