VIII-Learning and Memory

Question 1

concept of learning

Answer 1

new info is acquired by nervous system to produce adaptive changes in behavior
-associative learning (passive conditioning or operant reinforcement)
-nonassociative (simple, complex imprinting)

Question 2

major forms of memory

Answer 2

1. short term - including working second/hours
2. long term- hours/months
3. long lasting- months/lifetime

Question 3

brain regions of memory

Answer 3

1. hippocampus
2. amygdala
3. temporal cortex

Question 4

steps of memory processing

Answer 4

1. sensory input acquired = short term mem
2. short term mem consolidated/translocated to long term by rehearsal
3. long term retrieved and recalled back to short term

Question 5

physiologic mechanisms for learning

working memory

Answer 5

sustained/high levels of neuron firing during info holding period @prefrontal cortex

Question 6

PTSD

Answer 6

anxiety disorder after witnessing traumatic event
-memory loss, depression, nightmare, suicide

virtual reality helps control emotions in safe environment

Question 7

acquisition in associative learning

Answer 7

new motor behaviors
-associations b/t new stim and existing behaviors
-new associations b/t familiar stim and existing responses

Question 8

acquisitions in non associative learning

Answer 8

1. habituation - reduced respones to repeatedly exposed non noxious stim
2. sensitization - inc response to repeatedly exposed stim, strong hedonic valence

Question 9

concept of memory

Answer 9

encoding/storage/retrieval of learning info/interpreted experience
-can forget info that’s only temp useful
-context important for storage and cross referencing

Question 10

features of working memory

Answer 10

-contents from recall of long term or recent event temporarily in mind
-guides behavior/inhibits inapprop actions
-limited capacity so easy to distract
-matures late in dev
-fragile so targeted by aging, stress

Question 11

types of declarative/explicit long term

Answer 11

1. episodic- recall events in context of time and place relative to past experience
2. semantic- general knowledge of facts and concepts without reference to time and place

both brought to conscious level via hippocampus, temporal lobe, cortex

Question 12

types of nondeclarative long term

Answer 12

1. priming > neocortex
2. procedural > striatum
3. associative (emotional > amygdala and motor learning>cerebellum)

Question 13

domains of memory

Answer 13

1. cognitive- problem solving
2. psychomotor- dance, swim, ski
3. affective- like something, love, appreciate

not mutually exclusive

Question 14

synaptic plasticity

Answer 14

mechanism of long term potentiation so enduring inc in synaptic efficacy from high freq stim of an afferent pathway

aka functional strengthening of existing synapses + formation of new synapses + activation of silent synapses

Question 15

memory consolidation

Answer 15

newly encoded mems repeatedly reactivated during sleep to drive gradual redistribution to long term storage
-hippocampus and cortex synchronize during slow wave sleep

Question 16

active forgetting

Answer 16

1. amygdala stores fear memories
2. prefrontal cortex integrates CS info with context info by hippocampus
3. PFC inhibits amygdala output to reduce fear for extinction

Question 17

anterograde amnesia

Answer 17

inability to form new memories bc defect in consolidation from hippocampus damage
-affects declarative NOT procedural mem

Question 18

retrograde amnesia

Answer 18

inability to recall previously stored memories esp more recent memories, older ones are more resistant (temporal quality)
-memory trace still present

ex. concussion

Question 19

agnosia

Answer 19

inability to recognize stimuli, commands

Question 20

alzheimers hallmark

Answer 20

mem impairment with neuronal loss in hippocampus, cortex, basal forebrain (cholinergic)
-early stage anterograde amnesia > retrograde amnesia
-aphasia, apraxia, agnosia

Question 21

etiology of alzheimers

Answer 21

neurofibrillary tangles/tau + senile plaques/beta amyloid

risk factors: age, fam hx, genes (ApoE, APP, PS1,2)

Question 22

korsakoff syndrome

Answer 22

lack of thiamine (B1) from chronic alcoholism
-confabulation > anterograde amnesia from damage in mammillary bodies and basal frontal lobes + problems recall

treat with dietary thiamine