Chapter 5C

Question 1

Retrieving
autobiographical
events

Answer 1

• Autobiographical memory: a memory of
  personally lived experiences
• It links past events into a personal history to
  allow yourself to form a life narrative of past,
  present and future.
• These experiences are stored in long-term
  memory and accessed through retrieval into
  conscious awareness
• episodic memory and semantic memory are involved in the retrieval of autobiographical events ass they are comprised of both episodic information as well as semantic information

Question 2

Constructing possible imagined
futures

Answer 2

Possible imagined futures: hypothetical experiences and situations that an
individual can create and conceptualise in their mind
* It involves projecting yourself forwards in time to pre-experience an event
that might happen in your personal future.

Question 3

neurodegenerative disease

Answer 3

• A neurodegenerative disease is a
  disorder characterised by the
  progressive decline in the structure,
  activity and function of brain tissue.
• Neurons within the brain tissue
  (‘neuro’) gradually become
  damaged or deteriorate
  (‘degenerate’) and lose their
  function
• Alzheimer’s Disease is an example
  of a neurodegenerative disease that
  is characterized by memory decline

Question 4

alzherimers disease

Answer 4

Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia characterised by the wide-spread degeneration of neurons. It
causes memory decline, the deterioration of cognitive and social skills, and can even lead to personality
changes. Sufferers of Alzheimer’s disease may experience the growth of abnormal structures within their
brains such as beta amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles which are considered lesions.

Question 5

brain lessions

Answer 5

refer to damage or changes in the tissue of an organism’s brain, typically caused by
disease or trauma.

Question 6

beta amyloid plaques

Answer 6

refer to proteins that form on the axons of neurons and prevent neural
transmission, thereby preventing communication between neurons.

Question 7

neurofibrillary tangles

Answer 7

refer to proteins within neurons that inhibit the transport of essential
substances through the neuron, eventually killing the neuron.

Question 8

brain imaging

Answer 8

• Brain imaging includes CT, MRI and PET scans. They allow
  researchers to see the structure and function of the brain in-vivo
  (in a living person)
• This allows for changes to the brain to be observed over time,
  including cortical shrinkage, inactivity and brain lesions

Question 9

post mortem studies

Answer 9

Post mortem studies allow the brain to be analysed after death.
* Alzheimer’s Disease can only be confirmed in an autopsy to
confirm the presence of brain lesions.
* Brain lesions associated with Alzheimer’s Disease are often
microscopic, so cannot be easily detected by brain imaging.

Question 10

symptoms of alzheimers disease

Answer 10

• memory loss
• Personality changes
• Confusion
• Disorientation
• Repetition

Question 11

effects of alzheimers on memory

Answer 11

• Alzheimer’s primarily affects simple episodic and semantic memories before progressing to affect complex episodic and semantic memories. Typically, patients will begin by experiencing simple forms of
  memory decline (e.g. misplacing items around the house like keys or a phone) then eventually progress to severe, late-stage cases involving the loss of complex, long-term memories (e.g. the names and faces of
  loved ones, or the functions of basic objects like keys or a phone).
• Another common symptom of Alzheimer’s is anterograde amnesia. This commonly refers to the loss of autobiographical memories formed after an
  individual incurs brain damage.
• The ability to form new procedural memories may also be limited for sufferers of Alzheimer’s. This can
  impede their ability to follow directions or care for themselves.
  -Other symptoms of Alzheimer’s include
  having poor social and judgement skills, abnormal emotional reactions, decline of intellectual ability, the
  loss of mental capacity, and poor decision-making capabilities.

Question 12

mental imagery

Answer 12

• Mental imagery is the visual
  representations and
  experiences of sensory
  information without any
  sensory stimuli present.

Question 13

aphantasia

Answer 13

Aphantasia is a phenomenon
in which people are unable to
visualise mental imagery.

Question 14

symptoms of aphantasia

Answer 14

Symptoms include:
▪ Struggling to remember or ‘relive’ autobiographical events
▪ Having difficulty imagining future or hypothetical events
▪ Having problems with factual memory
▪ Dreaming less
▪ Decreased imagery involving other senses like sound or touch
▪ Trouble with facial recognition

Question 15

what causes aphantasia

Answer 15

• Scientists aren’t sure what causes aphantasia;
  however, it has been suggested that areas involved in
  visual imagery, such as the visual cortex, may be
  underactive.
  People with aphantasia do experience mental
  imagery but can’t access the image in their
  conscious thoughts.
• Aphantasia can be congenital (present from birth) or
  can be acquired (due to brain injury or significant
  psychological event).
• It is important to understand that aphantasia is not a
  disability but rather a unique variation in human
  experience.
• There is no known ‘cure’ for aphantasia.