amnesia Flashcards
(15 cards)
What brain region was damaged in HM, Boswell, and Wearing?
The temporal lobe, particularly the hippocampus.
What is the hippocampus and where is it located?
It’s an infolding of the cerebral cortex along the inner edge of the temporal lobe.
How does hippocampal damage affect memory?
Impairs long-term declarative memory formation; non-declarative memory often spared.
What is Korsakoff’s syndrome and what memory is affected?
A condition from thiamine deficiency (often due to alcoholism); affects declarative but not non-declarative memory.
Can amnesiacs form new non-declarative memories?
Yes, especially through Pavlovian conditioning, though not always successfully.
What kind of conditioning requires the hippocampus?
Trace conditioning, where there is a time gap between CS and US.
Does hippocampal damage affect delay conditioning?
No, delay conditioning can still occur unless other brain areas like the cerebral cortex are also damaged.
What does trace conditioning failure in amnesiacs suggest?
The hippocampus is crucial for holding CS information over time.
What are two goals of undoing prior learning?
- Eliminate bad habits or techniques. 2. Remove irrational fears.
What are the two methods of undoing learned behaviours?
- Erasure (remove memory or retrieval path). 2. Suppression (inhibit memory retrieval).
What is extinction in Pavlovian conditioning?
Presenting the CS without the US after conditioning to reduce or eliminate the CR.
What is spontaneous recovery in extinction?
The CR reappears after some time has passed without further conditioning.
What is reinstatement in extinction?
Reintroduction of the US alone causes the CR to return.
What is renewal in extinction?
The CR returns when the context of extinction differs from the context of acquisition.
What is the behaviour of suppression in extinction?
The brain actively inhibits the response when the CS is presented without the US
