Week 6: Memory Systems

Question 1

What is learning?

Answer 1

the process

Question 2

What is memory?

Answer 2

the outcome

Question 3

What are the 3 memory stages?

Answer 3

Encoding = acquisition and consolidation
Storage = permanent representation is stored
Retrieval = retrieved back into conscious awareness

Question 4

What are the 4 types of memory?

Answer 4

Sensory
STM & Working
LT Non-Declarative
LT Declarative

Question 5

What is LTM?

Answer 5

LTM has no limit and may last a lifetime
Declarative is the conscious type e.g. who is the PM
Non-declarative is the unconscious type (just do it)

Question 6

How do you increase STM capacity?

Answer 6

Try to avoid decay through chunking

Question 7

What is habituation?

Answer 7

decrease in response with repeated exposure

Question 8

What is sensitisation?

Answer 8

increase in response with repeated exposure

Question 9

How is the MTL important for memory?

Answer 9

Hippocampus, parahippocampal, entorhinal and perirhinal cortices make up the MTL
Damage can result in amnesia

Question 10

What are the subcortical structures that are important for memory?

Answer 10

Fornix
Mammillary bodies
Anterior thalamic nuclei
Amygdala - which encodes content of experiences (fear learning)

Question 11

What are the cortical structures important for memory?

Answer 11

Prefrontal cortex - storage and retrieval, episodic memories

Inferotemporal cortex - storage of visual observations

Question 12

Why is the cerebellum important for memory?

Answer 12

Important for conditioning (e.g. Pavlov)

Activities such as riding a bike

Question 13

Why is the striatum important for memory?

Answer 13

Has the basal ganglia, important for implicit (non-declarative) memories and habit formation

Question 14

What are the 2 domains of sensory memory?

Answer 14

Echoic - auditory - 9-10sec

Iconic - visual - 300-500ms

Question 15

What is the modal model of STM?

Answer 15

By Atkinson & Shiffrin
Sensory input –> sesnory register –> short term storage with the assistance of attention –> Long term storage with the assistance of rehearsal

Info can be lost at the short-term storage stage through decay or interference

Question 16

What are the 3 components of the Baddeley & Hitch 1974 Working Memory Model

Answer 16

Central Executive

Phonological Loop: acoustic code, acoustic store and articulatory loop

Visuospatial Sketch Pad (VSSP): visual or visuospatial code

Question 17

What are the regions responsible for phonological working memory?

Answer 17

Supramarginal gyrus - phonological WM

Premotor region - rehearsal in phonological loop

Question 18

What are the regions responsible for VSSP?

Answer 18

Bilateral parietal occipital region

Question 19

What is the story of HM?

Answer 19

Had a bilateral resection of MTL for epilepsy which included the hippocampus and amygdala
Led to severe anterograde amnesia and retrograde amnesia of up to 2 yrs prior
However he had a spared STM and non-declarative memroy

Question 20

True or False

Amnesiacs can show normal implicit learning and non-declarative knowledge

Answer 20

True

Question 21

What is Global Cerebral Ischemia?

Answer 21

Interruptions of blood supply to the brain

Can lead RB to dense anterograde and retrograde amnesia of approx. 1-2yrs

Question 22

What is Transient Global Amnesia?

Answer 22

Disruption of blood flow to MTL and diencephalon
Is a short term syndrome of 4-6hrs
Lead to sudden anterograde and variable retrograde amnesia 24-48hrs

Question 23

What is Korsakoff’s Syndrome?

Answer 23

Is caused by chronic consumption of alcohol.
Dorsomedial nucleus of thalamus and mammillary bodies are implicated in the syndrome
It is the result of a thiamine deficiency
Leads to severe anterograde & retrograde amnesia: ret is more effected and disrupted and greater loss of declarative

Question 24

Explain Alzheimers Disease

Answer 24

The first symptom is minor loss of memories but becomes more extreme
Pathological changes include Amyloid plaques and neurofibrally tangles; degeneration of basal forebrain and reduced acetylcholine

Question 25

What is Posttraumatic Amnesisa?

Answer 25

Memory loss following closed heady injury, with a blow to the head can result in a concussion and/or coma
The result is both anterograde and retrograde amnesia

Question 26

What region coordinates the consolidation process?

Answer 26

Medial Temporal Lobe

Question 27

What have ECT studies shown about consolidation?

Answer 27

Consolidation may take years to occur

Question 28

What role does the hippocampus play in consolidation?

Answer 28

Hippocampus holds until it is stored elsewhere.

The current view is that the hippocampus stores memories every time it is recalled

Question 29

What did the Mumby Box show?

Answer 29

Shows that the Medial Temporal Cortex removal results in severe deficits in object recognition
However the removal of hippocampus and amygdala does not

Question 30

What does the Morris Water Maze Reflect?

Answer 30

reflects the importance of the hippocampus for relational/contextual information

Question 31

What are the 2 main neurons of the MTL and memory?

Answer 31

Hippocampal Place Cells

Entorhinal Grid Cells

Question 32

What is a hippocampal place cell?

Answer 32

Fires when rat is at specific location; there is a specific cell for each place

The rat knows where it has been before so spikes electrical signal in neurons. Forming the map for the rest of the brain telling you where you are in the environment

Question 33

What are entorhinal grid cells?

Answer 33

Represent evenly spaced place fields sending signals to the hippocampus.
They are similar to place cells, but fires in array of different location and help you remember the path taken to help you return where you need to be.

Question 34

What are the other cells of the hippocampus?

Answer 34

Time cells
Engram Cells
Social space
Concept cells (Jennifer Aniston Neurons)