Lecture 33. Learning and Memory

Question 1

How long does sensory memory last ?

Answer 1

Milliseconds to seconds

Question 2

How long does short term working memory last ?

Answer 2

Seconds to minutes

Question 3

How long does long term nondeclarative memory last ?

Answer 3

Minutes to years

Question 4

How long does long term declarative memory last ?

Answer 4

Minutes to years

Question 5

What type of capacity does sensory memory have ?

Answer 5

High

Question 6

What type of capacity does short term working memory have ?

Answer 6

Limited - roughly 7 items

Question 7

What type of capacity does long term nondeclarative memory have ?

Answer 7

High

Question 8

What type of capacity does long term declarative memory have ?

Answer 8

High

Question 9

What type of memory has conscious awareness ?

Answer 9

1. Short term working

2. Long term declarative

Question 10

What type of memory does not have conscious awareness ?

Answer 10

1. Sensory

2. Long term nondeclarative

Question 11

What is sensory memories mechanism of loss ?

Answer 11

Primarily decay

Question 12

What is short term working memories mechanism of loss ?

Answer 12

Interference and decay

Question 13

What is long term non-declarative memories mechanism of loss ?

Answer 13

Primarily interference

Question 14

What is long term declarative memories mechanism of loss ?

Answer 14

Primarily interference

Question 15

What is the Atkinson and Shiffrin model ?

Answer 15

1. Proposes that information is first stored in sensory memory
2. From there items selected by attentional processes can move into short term storage
3. If the item is rehearsed it can be moved into long term memory

Question 16

In the Atkinson and Shiffrin model, how can information be lost ?

Answer 16

1. Decay
2. Interference
3. Both decay and interference

Question 17

What did Baddeley and Hitch model propose ?

Answer 17

A three part memory system consisting of a central mechanism that presides over and coordinates the interaction between two subordinate short term memory stores and long term memory

Question 18

What are the two subordinate short term memory stores in the Baddeley and Hitch model ?

Answer 18

1. Phonological loop

2. Visuospatial sketch pad

Question 19

What is the general definition of an engram ?

Answer 19

Describes the enduring modification to the nervous system produced by an experience

Question 20

What is a memory engram ?

Answer 20

The learned information stored in the brain

Question 21

What is necessary for memory retrieval ?

Answer 21

Synaptic strength

Question 22

What did Lashley do ?

Answer 22

Discovered the principle of mass action and the principal of equipotentiality

Question 23

What is the principle of mass action ?

Answer 23

Learned memory is distributed across all parts of the brain instead of being stored in single regions

Question 24

What is the principle of equipotentiality ?

Answer 24

In the event of damage in one area of the brain, other areas of the brain can sometimes assume the roles of the damaged region

Question 25

According to Morris’ water maze what can rats with hippocampal lesions do ?

Answer 25

Learn a repeated, practiced task but are unable to relate space information with different contextual information

Question 26

In Hebblian learning, what happens when a synapse is active when a postsynaptic neuron is active ?

Answer 26

The synapse will be strengthened

Question 27

What is long term potentiation ?

Answer 27

Long term strengthening of a synapse

Question 28

What is neuronal plasticity ?

Answer 28

The ability of the nervous system to be modified after birth

Question 29

What is synaptic plasticity ?

Answer 29

The strengthening or weakening of synaptic junctions

Question 30

What does long term potentiation in the vertebrate brain involve ?

Answer 30

A lasting increase in the strength of the synaptic transmission

Question 31

What happens to synapse prior to long term potentiation ?

Answer 31

The NMDA glutamate receptors open in response to glutamate but are blocked by Mg 2+

Question 32

What happens to establish a long term potentiation ?

Answer 32

1. Mg 2+ is released from NMDA receptors upon depolarisation
2. The unblocked receptors respond to glutamate by allowing an influx of Ca+2 and Na+2
3. The Ca +2 influx triggers insertion of the stored AMPA glutamate receptors into the postsynaptic membrane

Question 33

What happens when the synapse exhibiting long term potentiation ?

Answer 33

1. Glutamate release activates AMPA receptors that trigger depolarisation
2. The depolarisation unblocks NMDA receptors
3. AMPA and NMDA receptors trigger postsynaptic potentials strong enough to initiate action potentials without input from synapses

Question 34

What are hippocampal NMDAA receptors crucial for ?

Answer 34

Encoding and recall of spatial memory

Question 35

What does the formation of new memories require ?

Answer 35

The formation of new proteins to strengthen the connections between brain cells

Question 36

What did Donald Hebb propose in 1949 ?

Answer 36

Synaptic connections between co-activate cells change in a manner dependent on their activity

Question 37

What is a common saying for Hebb’s Law ?

Answer 37

Cells that fire together wire together

Question 38

What is anisomycin ?

Answer 38

A protein synthesis blocker that blocks the formation of long term memory

Question 39

What is required for cued and contextual fear conditioning ?

Answer 39

Amygdala

Question 40

What is only requires for contextual fear conditioning ?

Answer 40

Hippocampus

Question 41

What did Sheena Josselyn work on ?

Answer 41

Selective erasure of a fear memory

Question 42

What is optogenetics ?

Answer 42

Genes are manipulated so they can express a photosensitive protein that when exposed to light will activate the neuron

Question 43

What can channelrhodopsin do ?

Answer 43

Activate neurons with milliseconds resolution

Question 44

What can halarhodopsin do ?

Answer 44

Inactivate neurons with milisecond resolution