Memory

Question 1

What are 4 ways to consolidate a memory?

Answer 1

• Conscious rehearsal
• Unconscious rehearsal
• Practice
• Sleep (time)

Question 2

Name two neuro-chemical learning processes. Explain them.

Answer 2

• Habituation: learning to ignore a noxious stimulus
• Sensitization: recovering/heightening responses for a harmful but habituated stimulus by pairing with a second noxious stimulus

Question 3

Long term habituation is associated with a(n) ____ of synaptic density.
Long term sensitization is associated with a(n) ____ of synaptic density.

Answer 3

Long term habituation is associated with a(n) loss of synaptic density.
Long term sensitization is associated with a(n) increase of synaptic density.

Question 4

What is Hebb’s postulate?

Answer 4

Neurons that fire together, wire together.

Question 5

What is the difference between ontogenetic memory and phylogenetic memory?

Answer 5

Ontogenetic memory is the evolution of the organization of memory within an organism throughout its life.
Phylogenetic memory is the evolution of the organization of memory within a species across generations.

Question 6

What are the two general types of memory for its qualitative classification?

Answer 6

Explicit (declarative) and implicit (nondeclarative).

Question 7

What are the two forms of explicit memory? What are they respectively concerning?

Answer 7

• Episodic -> events

- Semantic -> facts

Question 8

What are the three forms of implicit memory? Which one is resistant to aging and even to dementia?

Answer 8

• Priming -> resistant to aging and dementia
• Associative learning
• Procedural

Question 9

What is a synonym to immediate memory?

Answer 9

Sensory memory.

Question 10

What are the three forms of memory in the temporal classification of memory?

Answer 10

• Immediate
• Short-term memory
• Long-term memory

Question 11

What is working memory? Are there limits to working memory?

Answer 11

Component of short-term memory that is processing all the information necessary to achieve a goal. Temporal and capacity limitations.

Question 12

True or false: long-term memory is virtually limitless.

Answer 12

True.

Question 13

What does allow memory consolidation?

Answer 13

To move memories from short-term to long-term by the progressive stabilization of theinitial memory “trace”.

Question 14

What is an engram?

Answer 14

First interneuronal “talking” provoked by new information (first stage of consolidation) = first embodiment of memory = memory “trace”.

Question 15

What are two biological processes that require the cellular stabilization of engrams?

Answer 15

• Protein synthesis

- Synaptic plasticity

Question 16

How does synchronization of cortical activity during sleep improves memory consolidation?

Answer 16

Reduces the neuronal “noise”, consequently allowing the engrams to consolidate without the disturbance of new incoming information.

Question 17

Provide three ways to enhance information encoding.

Answer 17

• Associating
• Give meaningful context to meaningless items
• Motivation

Question 18

What are the two types of conditioning? Name two differences between them.

Answer 18

Classical conditioning (defined by Pavlov)

• Associative (pairing trigger with unrelated stimulus)
• Passive

Operant conditioning (defined by Thorndike and Skinner)

• Rewarding (increasing behavioral response by rewarding)
• Active

Question 19

True or false: forgetting is also beneficial.

Answer 19

True, room for new things is partly dependent on forgetting other things.

Question 20

What are the two kind of amnesias?

Answer 20

• Retrograde

- Anterograde

Question 21

Concerning memory, what are the diencephalic and medial temporal lobe important for?

Answer 21

Encoding (formation of memory trace) and consolidation of declarative memories.

Question 22

Except diencephalic and medial temporal lobe structures, another structure plays a role in encoding and consolidation, what is it?

Answer 22

Hippocampus.

Question 23

Why can we say that the hippocampus is probably more important for the consolidation of emotional memories?

Answer 23

Because it is associated to the limbic system.

Question 24

What structure is important for retrieving information?

Answer 24

Posterior hippocampus.

Question 25

Explain why we could consider the hippocampus as a cognitive map.

Answer 25

Contains the place cells (fire for a particular space).

Question 26

True or false: place cells and grid cells are found in the same structure.

Answer 26

False.

Question 27

Where are found grid cells?

Answer 27

In the entorhinal cortex.

Question 28

True or false: grid cells are enough for spatial orientation (in the absence of place cells).

Answer 28

False: both types of cell are necessary for spatial orientation.

Question 29

What important structural lesson did the case of patient HM teach us?

Answer 29

Non-declarative memory and declarative memory are stored and processed seperately.

Question 30

True or false: medial temporal structures are independent from procedural memory and long-term memory.

Answer 30

True: only concern encoding and consolidation.

Question 31

What are the two structures required for procedural learning? Why does it make sense?

Answer 31

Cerebellum and basal ganglia. Makes sense because procedural learning depends on motor systems.

Question 32

What is the major structure involved in long-term memory?

Answer 32

Cerebral cortex.

Question 33

True or false: associative cortices are particularly important for long-term memory.

Answer 33

True.

Question 34

What is particular about the localization of semantic memory in the cerebral cortex?

Answer 34

Semantic memory is stored in the areas of the cortex that were first activated when encoding the information for the first time. Therefore, each property of an object is stored in the area of the cortex in which it was first processed: semantic memory is decentralized