Learning and Memory

Question 1

The appropriate term for “mentally retarded” is now…?

Answer 1

Intellectually disabled

Question 2

___________________ is the book about a intellectually disabled individual with a disorder that allows him to gain intelligence, even as an adult.

Answer 2

Flowers for Algernon

Question 3

In the phrase, “neurons that fire together, wire together,” the firing together refers to what?

Answer 3

Neurons are actively firing action potentials

Question 4

What is Hebbian theory?

Answer 4

Neurons that fire together, wire together

Question 5

In the phrase, “neurons that fire together, wire together,” what does wiring together refer to?

Answer 5

The synaptic efficacy

Question 6

Who is the neuroscience theoretician that studied memory in the brain?

Answer 6

Hebb

Question 7

Define synaptic efficacy.

Answer 7

Changes in the amount of depolarization in the post synaptic neuron.

Question 8

Describe the saying “neurons that fire together, wire together.”

Answer 8

A basic mechanism for synaptic plasticity, where an increase in synaptic efficacy arises from the presynaptic cell’s repeated and persistent stimulation of the postsynaptic cell.

Question 9

Define spike-timing-dependent plasticity.

Answer 9

changes in synaptic ‘efficacy’ between two neurons (one

presynaptic, the other postsynaptic) related to the relative timing of their action potentials

Question 10

Hebb writes that when one cell repeatedly assists in firing another, the axon of the first cell will develop…?

Answer 10

Axon Knobs. Or if they already exist, will enlarge them.

Question 11

A short, fat synapse is also called _________.

Answer 11

Mature

Question 12

A long skinny synapse is also called __________.

Answer 12

Immature

Question 13

When a synapse changes and there is more depolarization, this is called ____________________.

Answer 13

Long term potentiation

Question 14

When a synapse changes and there is less depolarization, this is called _____________________.

Answer 14

Long term depression

Question 15

Synaptic depression is also called ______________.

Answer 15

Depotentiation

Question 16

When talking about changes in synapses, we are typically referring to _______.

Answer 16

Glutamate because it is fast and ionotropic

Question 17

Another name for implicit memory is…?

Answer 17

Procedural

Question 18

Another name(s) for explicit memory is…?

Answer 18

Declarative, semantic, or episodic

Question 19

If you learned the sky was purple, not blue, this would be an example of what kind of memory?

Answer 19

Implicit/procedural memory

Question 20

If you learned how to swing a golf club, this would be an example of what kind of memory?

Answer 20

Declarative/explicit memory

Question 21

What kind of learning is Pavlovian learning?

Answer 21

Associative

Question 22

Where does associative learning happen in the brain?

Answer 22

The amygdala

Question 23

If you took the amygdala out of a brain, what would happen?

Answer 23

The animal would not have a frightened/scared response anymore.

Question 24

What is the lateral amygdala? What is it used for?

Answer 24

The lateral amygdala is where learning takes place. The neurons in it drive the central amygdala.

Question 25

The auditory cortex fires at what Hz?

Answer 25

10 Hz

Question 26

Explain the co-activity of neurons in the auditory and somatosensory cortex?

Answer 26

The auditory cortex fires when a sound is produced. A shock is given at the same time, activating the somatosensory. Over time, the somatosensory will activate when sound alone is produced.

Question 27

T/F: Rats develop handed-ness when learning the reach-grasp task.

Answer 27

True

Question 28

What kind of knowledge is unconscious?

Answer 28

Declarative

Question 29

In his lab, what does Nitz feed his rats?

Answer 29

Honey nut cheerios

Question 30

In the Nitz/Chiba motor learning experiment, which lab's rats learned more quickly and with better accuracy?

Answer 30

Nitz

Question 31

The Nitz/Chiba lab studied what areas of the brain/body?

Answer 31

The primary motor cortex and 10-12 muscles in the rats' forelimb.

Question 32

What is a ratonculus?

Answer 32

A rat's body map in the motor cortex

Question 33

Diamond studied the thickness of cortex in certain people. Elaborate on this study.

Answer 33

The thickness of cortex in people who played the piano. Found an expansion in size of areas of primary motor cortex that involve using fingers.

Question 34

What neuromodulatory pathway helps with the process of memory development?

Answer 34

ACh

Question 35

ACh in what area of the brain, projects to the motor cortex?

Answer 35

Basal forebrain

Question 36

Which lab gave birth to the famous program Luminosity?

Answer 36

Mersinich

Question 37

The hippocampus is involved in what kind of memory?

Answer 37

Episodic

Question 38

What cells in the hippocampus are important for episodic memories?

Answer 38

Place cells

Question 39

In episodic memories, after 1-2 days of training, a rat will use ______ instead of ______.

Answer 39

Place instead of procedure

Question 40

Rats trained to make a nosepoke if control trained they detect a ____ kHz tone show improvements in detection over days of training.

Answer 40

4

Question 41

In the nosepoke experiment, the ______________ of pitch changes such that more neurons respond to 4 kHz tones.

Answer 41

topographic representation

Question 42

In the nosepoke experiment, the representation of pitch in ______________ changes such that more neurons respond to 4 kHz tones.

Answer 42

primary auditory cortex

Question 43

What factors can effect synaptic efficacy?

Answer 43

1. Timing 2. Amount of co-activity between two neurons (as in ‘fire together, wire together’)

Question 44

What is long term potentiation?

Answer 44

a long-lasting increase in signal transmission between 2 neurons via strengthening in synapses based on recent patterns of activity.

Question 45

What is re-uptake?

Answer 45

The glial cell absorbs excess glutamate, transforms it, and repackages it.

Question 46

In synaptic potentiation, which fires first? The pre- or post-synaptic neuron?

Answer 46

Pre-synaptic neuron

Question 47

In synaptic depression, which fires first? The pre- or post- synaptic neuron?

Answer 47

Post-synaptic neuron

Question 48

T/F: If a neuron A to neuron B's synaptic strength increased by 50% within 100 mS, this would change the synaptic efficacy.

Answer 48

FALSE. In order to make a change in efficacy, the change must happen within the 60 mS threshold.

Question 49

How is the spike timing calculated?

Answer 49

The time of firing of post-synaptic neuron minus time of firing of pre-synaptic neuron.