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