Dot Point 2

Question 1

What is long term potentiation?

Answer 1

Is the increased tendency for a group of neutrons to fire after they have been repeatedly stimulated by other neutrons

This repeated stimulation leads to permanent functional and structural changes that enable a long term memory to be stored

Question 2

What are the changes as a result of LTP (long term potentiation)

Answer 2

Functional - pre synaptic neuron releases more neurotransmitters more readily,

Strengthening of the synaptic connection

More efficient pathway, post-synaptic neuron is more readily excited

Structural - new synaptic connections are formed

Bushier dendrites / dendritic spines formed

Question 3

What is acetylcholine

Answer 3

Enables memory function in the hippocampus and is Associated with learning

Question 4

What is serotonin

Answer 4

Memory is aided by its presence in the brain. It regulates arousal and mood

Question 5

What is dopamine ?

Answer 5

Facilitates movement, attention and learning. Heavy involvement in reinforcement

Question 6

What is Glutamate ?

Answer 6

Necessary for permanent changes in the synapse to occurs (LTP)

Question 7

How are memories formed?

Answer 7

Memories are formed due to biochemical changes in the synapse in response to different neurotransmitters

Memory is a form of neural plasticity where neural connections are removed and re - made on a continual basis

Question 8

The key parts of the temporal lobe for memory are found where?

Answer 8

Medial temporal lobe

Question 9

What are found within the medial temporal lobes?

Answer 9

Hippocampus and Amygdala

Question 10

What are the primary functions of the Amygdala ?

Answer 10

The storage/function/consolidation/encoding and retrieval of emotional information in memory, especially information relating to fear

Question 11

Damage to Amygdala

Answer 11

Leaves a person unable to learn a fear response through classical conditioning

Question 12

The hippocampus primary function

Answer 12

The consolidation, storage, retrieval, encoding, formation and processing of declarative memory/explicit memories, including episodic and semantic memories

Question 13

Note on hippocampus

Answer 13

While the hippocampus is crucially involved in the storing/storage of declarative memories, it is not thought to be a place of long term storage in itself

Question 14

Damage to the hippocampus

Answer 14

Can cause amnesia

Question 15

What is consolidation

Answer 15

Is the process of permanently storing a memory, where physical changes occur in the synapses of neutrons and a strengthening of that memory occurs over time

Usually occurs in the hippocampus, converting STM to LTM

Question 16

There are 3 conditions necessary for consolidation to occur - what are they?

Answer 16

Physical changes in the synapse

No disruptions (physical such as a head injury or poor attention, stress/anxiety)

A certain amount of time, usually a minimum of 30 minutes

Question 17

What is re-consolidation

Answer 17

Once we retrieve a memory we generally have to consolidate again in order to refine, correct or modify our existing LTM

At this time it is again vulnerable to disruption

Question 18

What happens when memory formation is disrupted?

Answer 18

A LTM will not be formed as

There is a period of time when memory’s are set,

These memories are susceptible to alteration by new relevant information

The physical process of changes in the synapses can be disrupted by

• a head injury, the amount of attention paid to the information
• arousal level due to anxiety or alertness

Question 19

What is amnesia

Answer 19

Amnesia is the inability to recall previously stored information, usually caused by brain trauma or neuron degeneration disorders

Question 20

What are the 2 types of amnesia?

Answer 20

Retrograde and anterograde

Question 21

What is retrograde amnesia

Answer 21

Have difficulty recalling previously stored information

It involves a loss of information before the trauma

Question 22

What is anterograde amnesia

Answer 22

Difficulty encoding and storing new memories

Can not learn anything new but can still recall memories formed prior to the trauma

Question 23

What is dementia

Answer 23

Refers to a disorder affecting ghee mental processes

Can occur in various forms and causes by a variety of factors

Question 24

What is Alzheimer’s ?

Answer 24

Is a neuro-degenerate disease characterises by the gradual widespread degeneration of brain neutrons,mac using memory loss, a decline in cognitive and social skills, and personality changes

Question 25

What are the physical Brian structures affected by Alzheimer’s?

Answer 25

Beings in the hippocampus

Involves degeneration of neutrons in the brain and brain tissue shrinks,

Amyloid plaques and neurofibillary tangles

Question 26

What are amyloid plaques

Answer 26

Proteins forming on axon terminals

Question 27

What are neurofibillary tangles

Answer 27

Proteins within a neuron

Question 28

As ageing continues, what memories does memory decline affect?

Answer 28

STM and declarative memory

Question 29

What are the STM effects of ageing?

Answer 29

Simple tasks not effected where as more complex tasks are effected

Processing of information can be slower due to decreased efficiency of the nervous system

Question 30

What are the effects of ageing on LTM

Answer 30

Declarative - semantic - explicit ,

Slower at encoding and retrieving information

Takes longer to learn new information

Well learnt knowledge such as spelling or times tables are readily retrieved and used - not effected

Question 31

Effects of ageing on declarative - episodic memory

Answer 31

Sharp decline after middle age

Particular problems with prospective memory

Question 32

Effects of ageing on procedural - implicit memory

Answer 32

Not effected. As memories become implicit and do not require conscious effort