PSYC 370 test III
Brain region involved in skill learning:
basal ganglia, motor cortex, cerebellum
What is the function of medial temporal structures for declarative memory?
for forming declarative memories.
Brain region involved in complex conditioning:
hippocampus and cortex
What brain systems are presumed to support semantic memory?
hippocampus, tissue surrounding the hippocampus (entorhinal cortex)
More about the PFC...
involved in online maintenance and manipulation of info, including working memory. It is also involved in encoding, retrieval, and evaluation of information stored in LT memory
What is the difference between skill learning, priming, and conditioning?
priming- changes in perception and belief caused by previous experience. Learning- recalibration of perceptual systems as a result of experience. Conditioning- learning about associations among stimuli.
Brain region involved in perceptual priming:
reduces activity in bilateral occipitotemporal cortex
Brain region involved in semantic memory:
storage in cortex, perhaps especially in temporal lobes
Brain region involved in Episodic memory...
Storage in cortex, perhaps especially in right and frontal and temporal regions
Brain region involved in conceptual priming:
reduces activity in frontal cortex
How do young and older adults differ in terms of their dependence on recall or recognition memory strategies? What kinds of brain structures differentially support these
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What is long-term potentiation? How does it relate to the function of the hippocampus?
A stable and enduring increase in the effectiveness of synapses following repeated strong stimulation. LTP is studied in many hippocampal pathways. High frequency stimulation of presynaptic neurons leads to a change in responsiveness.
Is semantic memory affected in amnesia?
Amnesiac patients generally have intact semantic memories. This may reflect that most semantic knowledge is acquired early in life, may be consolidated. Many patients unable to learn new vocabulary. If tissue surrounding hippocampus (entorhinal cortex) is spared, the semantic learning may be possible but not 100%
What is the difference between anterograde and retrograde amnesia?
Anterograde- memories after that time point Retrograde- lost memories for the past. Evidence of retrograde amnesia in patients with severe Korsakoff's desease.
What does the term "memory consolidation" refer to?
Consolidation: stage of memory formation when STM or ITM is transferred to LTM. The process by which moment-to-moment changes in brain activity are translated into permanent structural changes in the brain. This can explain anterograde loss, but to explain retrograde loss one needs to assume that the old memories are not fully consolidated. A consolidation deficit would affect declarative memory, because the hippocampus and related regions link together different kinds of info in many regions of the brain, and this requires a slower mechanism following rapid synaptic consolidation in the cortex.
What kind of brain damage is observed in patients with Korsakoff's syndrome? What kind of memory deficits do these patients have?
Damage to the medial diencephalon. Damage to the dorsalmedial nucleus of the thalamus and mammillary bodies of the hypothalamus. These patients typically experience retrograde memory deficits.
Declarative and non-declarative memory
Declarative memory: aka explicit memory. Pertains to facts (semantic information) and events (episodic information) Non-declarative: aka implicit memory. Procedural memory, priming, perceptual learning, and classical conditioning.
What brain mechanisms are involved in memory encoding, storage, and retrieval?
Encoding: right PFC and parahippocampal cortex in both hemispheres Consolidation: hippocampus Storage: tends to be in the regions of the cortex where the info was first processed and held in short term memory Retrieval: Dorsolateral/Ventrolateral PFC
What is the difference between free recall, cued recall, and recognition memory?
Free recall- someone is given a list of items and asked to recall them in any order. Cued recall- subject is given something to remember and then tested using cues. Recognition- subject is tested by given a list of choices and asked to choose the one pertaining to what was tested.
What kinds of changes at synaptic level support learning and memory?
Greater release of NT molecules and/or greater effects because the NT molecules become more numerous and more sensitive. Cause an increase at the postsynaptic level. Inputs from other neurons. LTM may require changes in the nervous system, forming/eliminating synapes, and reorganization of synapses
What kind of memory loss was HM suffering from? What kind of brain damage led to his amnesia?
HM suffered from profound amnesia. He suffered epileptic seizures and had brain surgery to remove the hippocampus. Several decades after the operation, he still suffered from severe anterograde amnesia.
Indentify the four main causes of age related impairments of memory
Impairments of encoding and retrieval, loss of neurons and neural connections, problems with cholinergic neurotransmission, impaired coding by placing cells
Does long term memory have a limit? Is it perfectly accurate or is it subject to distortions? What kind of distortions?
It is essentially limitless, but is subject to distortions. Every time a memory trace is activated during recall, it is subject to changes and fluctuations. Also, we may create memories that never happened.
What is the difference between learning and memory?
Learning: the process of acquiring new information. Memory: the ability to store and retrieve information
What is semantic memory?
One's knowledge of vocabulary and the world (meaning). Differs from episodic memory, or memories of a particular incident.
Primacy and recency effects
Primacy effect: information presented early on is better remembered than info presented later (LTM) Recency effect: information presented later on is better remembered than information presented earlier (STM)
Difference between long term memory and short term memory?
STM: memory for information currently in the "mind", limited capacity LTM: stored information that need not be presently accessed or even consciously accessible. Virtually unlimited capacity.
What are the basic temporal stages of memory processing?
Sensory information --> encoding to short term storage --> consolidation to long term memory --> working memory --> retrieval --> performance
What kinds of memory systems are spared in cases of amnesia like HM's?
Short term memory/ working memory are spared. Non-Declarative memory is spared (can still learn new skills and show repetition priming in stem completion. Episodic memory is impaired. Semantic memory is usually impaired, but if tissue around hippocamus is spared, then semantic memory may be possible.
What brain structures support skill memory, repetition priming, and conditioning?
Skill memory: basal ganglia (serial reaction time task, rotary pursuit task, weather prediction task, associations between stimuli) Repetition priming- reduced activity in bilateral occipitotemporal cortex; reduction in activity of left frontal cortex. Conditioning: cerebellar circuits
What is the difference between synaptic and system consolidation?
Synaptic consolidation: may occur anywhere in the nervous system System consolidation: related to the hippocampus and declarative memory. This takes years in humans.
Brain region involved in simple conditioning:
The cerebellar circuit
What is memory?
The group of mechanisms and processes by which experience shapes us, changing our brains and our behaviors. Also, the ability to capture the present moment so we are forever changed by it.
What is the contribution of hippocampal mechanisms to spatial memory?
The manner of making a living has left an imprint on the hippocampus- some animals have larger hippocampi than others, for example, birds that hide food in multiple locations.
Can brain damage destroy autobiographical memories while sparing general memories?
Yes- patient K.C. was in a motorcycle accident. Although he retained general memories such as how to play chess, he can't remember where he learned to play.
