Watching Memories Being Made Flashcards
GRE
diagnose
Scientists have developed a new understanding about how memories exist in the brain, and it could change how we diagnose and treat brain disease forever.
intriguing
adj.
Arousing interest or curiosity: an intriguing plot.
Syn. interesting, fascinating, absorbing, exciting, engaging, gripping, stirring, stimulating, curious, compelling, amusing, diverting, provocative, beguiling, thought-provoking, titillating, engrossing, tantalizing This intriguing book is both thoughtful and informative.
neuron
Nerve cells in the brain, brain stem, and spinal cord that connect the nervous system and the muscles.
cor·ti·cal (kōr’ti-kăl)
Relating to a cortex
cerebral cortex
The extensive outer layer of gray matter of the cerebral hemispheres, largely responsible for higher brain functions, including sensation, voluntary muscle movement, thought, reasoning, and memory.
brain nerve cell connected with memory etc.
“Instead of memory as something formed just anywhere in the brain, we realized over the decades that defined networks of cortical and subcortical areas are connected to form retrievable memories.”
yield
1.
a. To give forth by a natural process, especially by cultivation: a field that yields many bushels of corn.
b. To furnish as return for effort or investment; be productive of: an investment that yields a high return.
2.
a. To give over possession of, as in deference or defeat; surrender: yielded my seat to the speaker; yielded his sword.
b. To give up (an advantage, for example) to another; concede: yielded the right of way to the oncoming traffic.
Ex. Brain activity works like a circuit, so building and retrieving memories depends on connections within a network. Stronger connections yield stronger memories.
What memory is?
Explained by Denise Cai
“One way of thinking about this concept is that memory isn’t a snapshot—it is dynamically updated and edited across time. Any given memory is formed in relation to past and future memories.”
episodic
ˌɛpɪˈsɒdɪk
Limited to the duration of an episode; temporary irregular, occasional, or sporadic
aversive
adj.
Causing avoidance of a thing, situation, or behavior by using an unpleasant or punishing stimulus, as in techniques of behavior modification.
tending to dissuade or repel
averse
Having a feeling of opposition, distaste, or aversion; strongly disinclined: investors who are averse to taking risks.
opposed, reluctant, hostile, unwilling, backward, unfavourable, loath, disinclined, inimical, indisposed, antipathetic, ill-disposed He’s not averse to publicity.
trauma
traumatic
1.
a. Serious injury to the body, as from physical violence or an accident: abdominal trauma.
b. Severe emotional or mental distress caused by an experience: He experienced trauma for years after his divorce.
2.
a. An experience that causes severe anxiety or emotional distress, such as rape or combat: memories that persist after a trauma occurs.
b. An event or situation that causes great disruption or suffering: the economic trauma of the recession.
post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD
For Cai, one of the most promising potential applications for this research is the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“Our new data showed that when mice learn a context for the first time and find it traumatic, they transfer that fear to neutral memories learned days apart,”
in a better position
We are in a better position to start developing targeted treatments to help humans prevent the relapses of fear.”
phenotype
1.
a. The observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, as determined by both genetic makeup and environmental influences.
b. The expression of a specific trait, such as stature or blood type, based on genetic and environmental influences.
2. An individual or group of organisms exhibiting a particular phenotype.
dementia
dɪˈmɛnʃə; -ʃɪə
Loss of cognitive abilities, including memory, concentration, communication, planning, and abstract thinking, resulting from brain injury or from a disease such as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease. It is sometimes accompanied by emotional disturbance and personality changes.
