Neuropsychology of Memory Flashcards
What is amnesia, and what aspects remain unaffected?
When the ability to take in new information is severely (and usually permanently) affected. Intelligence, attention span and personality is usually unaffected.
Damage to what causes amnesia, and what are some examples of how this can happen??
Damage to the medial temporal lobe (or anatomically connected regions) which can be due to a head injury, stroke, epilepsy etc.
What are the two types of amnesia?
- Anterograde amnesia
- Retrograde amnesia
What is anterograde amnesia?
When the memories that are severely affected are the ones that have been formed after the brain injury
What is procedural memory?
The process of learning motor skills that are distinct to the LTM (meaning it becomes automatic e.g. riding a bike).
This means that you can operate in the absence of awareness.
What can LTM be grouped into?
Declarative memory (conscious)
Implicit memory (unconscious)
What makes up declarative memory, and what do they involve?
Semantic memory (facts and knowledge)
Episodic memory (personal events)
What makes up implicit memory, and what do they involve?
Procedural memory (motor skills become automatic through learning e.g. riding a bike)
Priming effects (exposure to a stimulus can have an influence response to subsequent stimulus e.g. recognise the word nurse quicker when it follows the word doctor)
What type of memory is affected by amnesia?
Declarative memory (semantic + episodic)
What happens to procedural memory in patients with Alzheimer’s or Huntington’s disease?
Alzheimer’s: Procedural memory is unaffected
Huntington’s: Procedural memory is impaired
What part of the brain is used for procedural memory?
Basal ganglia
What part of the brain is required for the acquisition and retention of semantic and episodic memory?
Medial temporal lobe
What is anterograde amnesia?
Loss of memory that was formed before the brain injury has occurred
What does the standard model of consolidation suggest?
1) Initially, memory is retained in the hippocampus and it is able to communicate with the cortices of the brain.
2) Cortico-cortical connections are then able to form and strengthen which allows for the memory to be stored independent of the hippocampus.
3) Memory is now stored in the neocortex of the brain and not the hippocampus
What is spontaneous confabulation, and what is its cause?
A memory error where memory becomes fabricated, distorted or misinterpreted without the intention of deceit.
Frontal lobe impairment/damage
