Chapter 11: Learning, Memory, and Amnesia

Amnesia

Any pathological loss of memory

Nootropics (Smart Drugs)

Drugs that contain choline and purportedly improve memory

NMDA Receptor

Glutamate receptors that play key roles in the development of stroke-induced brain damage and long term potentiation at glutaminergic synapses

Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)

The enduring facilitation of synaptic transmission that occurs following activation of synapse by high-intensity, high-frequency stimulation of the presynaptic neurons. explanation of cellular mechanism used for memory formation.

Standard Consolidation Theory

Theory that memories are temporarily stored in the hippocampus until they can be transferred to a more stable cortical storage system

propranolol

inhibits beta, referring to receptors attaching to the n.t. adrenaline (epinephrine) causing blood vessels to constrict and increase blood pressure. known to block PTSD

Cognitive Map Theory

the theory that the main function of the hippocampus is to store memories of spatial location

nerve growth factors (NGF)

promotes growth of neurons in petri dish but no proof of doing so in human brain.

Incomplete-Pictures Test

A test of memory measuring the improved ability to identify fragmented figures that have been previously observed

Engram

A change in the brain that stores a memory

Korsakoff's Syndrome

A neuropsychological disorder that is common in alcoholics and whose primary symptom is severe memory loss

Mediodorsal Nuclei

A pair of medial diencephalic nuclei in the thalamus, damage to which is thought to be responsible for many of the memory deficits associated with Korsakoffs syndrome

Nitric Oxide

A soluble-gas neurotransmitter

Amygdala

A structure in the anterior temporal lobe, just anterior to the hippocampus; plays a role in emotion

Hippocampus

A structure of the medial temporal lobes that plays a role in memory for spatial location

Medial Temporal Lobe Amnesia

Amnesia associated with bilateral damage to the medial temporal lobes; its major feature is anterograde amnesia for explicit memories in combination with preserved intellectual functioning

Posttraumatic Amnesia (PTA)

Amnesia produced by a nonpenetrating head injury (concussion)

Medial Diencephalic Amnesia

Amnesia that is associated with damage to the medial diencephalon (e.g., Korsakoff's amnesia)

Rhinal Cortex

An area of medial temporal cortex adjacent to the amygdala and hippocampus

Cerebral Ischemia

An interruption of the blood supply to an area of the brain; a common cause of medial temporal lobe amnesia

Lobectomy

An operation in which a lobe, or a major part of one, is removed from the brain

Lobotomy

An operation in which a lobe, or a major part of one, is separated from the rest of the brain by a large cut but is not removed

Explicit Memories

Conscious memories

Grid Cells

Entorhinal neurons that have multiple, evenly spaced place fields

Semantic Memories

Explicit memories for general facts and knowledge (name and bday)

Episodic Memories

Explicit memories for the particular events and experiences of one's life (wedding date)

Anterograde Amnesia

Loss of memory for events occurring after the amnesia-inducing brain injury

Retrograde Amnesia

Loss of memory for events or information learned before the amnesia-inducing brain injury

Short-Term Memory

Memories (e.g., recall of a phone number) that are stored only until a person stops focusing on them- typically assessed with the digit-span test

Implicit Memories

Memories that are expressed by improved performance without conscious recall or recognition

Long-Term Memory

Memory for experiences that endures after the experiences are no longer the focus of attention

Reference Memory

Memory for the general principles and skills that are required to perform a task

Place Cells

Neurons that develop place fields- that is, that respond only when the subject is in a particular place in a familiar test environment

Transcription Factors

Proteins that bind to DNA and influence the expression of particular genes

Memory Consolidation

The transfer of short-term memories to long-term storage

Working Memory

Temporary memory necessary for the successful performance of a task on which one is currently working

Prefrontal Cortex

The areas of frontal cortex that are anterior to the frontal motor areas

Learning

The brain's ability to change in response to experience

Memory

The brain's ability to store and access the learned effects of experiences

Glutamate

The brain's most prevalent excitatory neurotransmitter, whose excessive release causes much of the brain damage resulting from cerebral ischemia

Inferotemporal Cortex

The cortex of the inferior temporal lobe, in which is located in an area of secondary visual cortex that is involved in object recognition

Digit Span

The longest sequence of random digits that can be repeated correctly 50% of the time- most people have a digit span of 7

Alzheimer's Disease

The major cause of dementia in old age, characterized by neurofibrillary tangles, amyloid plaques, and neuron loss. implicit sensorimotor memory is in tact.

Cerebellum

The metencephalic structure that has been shown to mediate the retention of Pavlovian eye blink conditioning

Infantile Amnesia

The normal inability to recall events from early childhood

Perirhinal Cortex

The portion of the rhinal cortex around the rhinal fissure

Multiple-Trace Theory

Theory that memories are encoded in a distributed fashion throughout the hippocampus and other brain structures for as long as the memories exist

CA1 Subfield

The region of the hippocampus that is commonly damaged by cerebral ischemia

Bilateral Medial Temporal Lobectomy

The removal of the medial portions of both temporal lobes, including the hippocampus, the amygdala and the adjacent cortex

Dendritic Spines

Tiny nodules of various shapes that are located on the surfaces of many dendrites and are the sites of most excitatory synapses in the mature mammalian brain

Striatum

a structure of the basal ganglia that is the terminal of the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway and is damaged in Parkinson's patients; it seems to play a role in memory for consistent relationships between stimuli and responses in multiple-trail tasks

Morris Water Maze Test

a widely used test of spatial memory in which rats must learn to swim directly to a platform hidden just beneath the surface of a circular pool of murky water

H.M. case study

epilepsy led to successful surgery of removing temporal lobes. IQ increased but memory decreased but improved in tennis. able to form new implicit but not explicit.

declarative memory

explicit memory

nondeclarative

implicit memory

R.B. case study

suffered cerebral ischemia.damage to temporal lobe.

Entorhinal Cortex

the portion of the rhinal cortex within the rhinal fissure