week 10 Flashcards
what is hebb’s rule?
a connection b/w 2 neurons will strengthen if they are activated in the same space at the same time, or weaken if they do not.
plastic changes at synapses can be ___ or ___.
physiological
structural
what is learning at the neuronal level? (3)
- stimulus produces neuronal response.
- if stimulus reliably produces response, strength of physiological response increases.
- if stimulus does not reliably produce response, strength of physiological response decreases.
the response of a neuron depends on the ___ that one neuron ___ another.
frequency
excites
[see slide 9]
what does ‘learning’ look like for pre-synaptic and post-synaptic cells?
pre:
- # of neurotransmitter vesicles may increase (greater release = greater likelihood of depolarization)
post:
- # of receptors may increase (greater channels = greater increased magnitude of depolarization)
what is sensitization?
increased response to stimuli following the presentation of a prominent stimulus (e.g. loud sound, strong smell)
what is habituation?
decreased response to stimuli following the repeated presentation of that stimulus (e.g. loud sound, strong smell)
what is GSWR?
Gill Siphon Withdrawal Reflex
T or F: vertebrates tend to have larger neurons, visible to human eye sometimes.
false – invertebrates*
describe the long- and short-term habituation learning process of the aplysia (4)
- poke siphon, aplysia withdraws.
- over 10 trials, already see signs of short-term habituation (i.e., 30 seconds –> 5 seconds).
- by day 2 eventually stops responding (trial 1 is like a reminder, then just ignores it).
- even 26 days later, see enduring reduction in response (long-term habituation).
how is learning physiologically associated with synaptic changes in EPSPs?
magnitude of EPSP decreases with every stimulation
describe an example of structural changes at synapses (3)
- visual experience affects development of the visual cortex.
- in normal vision, occular dominance/#of cells is spread evenly across both eyes.
- in monocular deprivation, info is only processed from the seeing-eye.
describe the example of structural changes at synapses using the rat experiment (2)
- put rats in SC, EC, IC.
- rats in EC showed greater dendrite growth (i.e., more branches) than rats in IC.
describe the metamodal organization of the brain for early blind vs. sighted people (3)
- sighted people rely on sensorimotor/parietal cortex.
- early blind people rely on occipital cortex.
- shows that early blind people undergo massive reorganization, such that sensory areas become intermingled.
what is an NMDA receptor? when does it allow ions to pass through its channel?
- special kind of glutamatergic ionotropic receptor.
- allows ions to pass through its channel when neuron is depolarized.
