Pharmacology of memory

Question 1

Learning

Answer 1

a change in behaviour or state of mind that results from acquiring knowledge about the world

Question 2

Memory

Answer 2

the process by which knowledge is encoded, stored and later retrieved

Question 3

What are the two types of long term memory

Answer 3

implicit and explicit

Question 4

Implicit memory

Answer 4

skills and habits, conditioning

Question 5

Explicit memory

Answer 5

semantic and episodic memory

Question 6

Alcohol and memory

Answer 6

• action unclear
• effect at both receptors and ion channels - GPCR
• Interacts in a way that inhibits neuronal firing

Question 7

Ethanol study

Answer 7

• male students aged 21-35
• 1991
• 28 subjects given alcholic drink or placebo
• 1 hr shown a seq of 24 words and asked to count backwards in 3s from 200 for 2 minutes (interference task)
• explicit memory test :asked to recall as many words as possible from list
• implicit memory : presented with words spelled backwards - some from list

Question 8

Results of memory and ethanol study

Answer 8

• selective effect on memory
• reduction in number of words recalled when ethanol increased
• ethanol in this study impaired explicit memory but not implicit memory

Question 9

Cannabis

Answer 9

• Classed as a B drug
• THC active ingredient
• binds to presynaptic CB1 receptors inhibiting neurotransmitter release
• acute and short term exposure led to mixed result

Question 10

Cannabis study

Answer 10

• 2007
• study of chronic cannabis users (n=20) and non users (n=20) aged 18-35
• all subjects not to use alcohol or cannabis for 7 days before
• given an associative learning task, based on images

Question 11

results of cannabis study

Answer 11

• cannabis had no effect on accuracy
• generally the more people smoking the lower their accuracy gets

Question 12

Memory enhancement

Answer 12

• your feelings on the past effect your memory

Question 13

Caffine

Answer 13

• binds to GPCR adenosine receptors
• normal intake causes antagonism at A1 and A2a receptors
• beneficial on reaction time and attention in fatigued people

Question 14

Caffeine study

Answer 14

• 160 volunteers aged 18-30
• low caffeine consumption
• randomised double-blind placebo controlled
• pattern seperation task

Question 15

pattern seperation task

Answer 15

• the get shown a range of images
• they will then get shown another series of images, you will get a foil, similar lure or the target

Question 16

Caffeine study results

Answer 16

caffeine improved the pattern seperation

Question 17

modafinil

Answer 17

• psychomotor stimulant with multiple target
• binds to dopamine transporters to inhibit dopamine reuptake
• activates alpha1-adrenoceptors
• inhibits GABA release
• prescribed drug

Question 18

Modafinil study

Answer 18

• study on healthy young adults (n=64, age 19-36)
• randomised, placebo-controlled, double blind
• test 2 hours after drug administration
• seq tast to test spatial working memory

Question 19

Methylphenidate (Ritalin)

Answer 19

• dopamine and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor
• class b drug
• used to treat ADHD

Question 19

Modafinil results

Answer 19

• the improvement is dependent on difficult
• matching placebo error rate at 4-6
• 10 upwards differerent

Question 20

Ritalin study

Answer 20

-volunteers (n=19, male, age 19-37, without ADHD)
- placebo double blind study
- visual verbal learning test
- given 3 doses, delay, write down how many words they remember

Question 20

results for ritalin study

Answer 20

• difference of one word recall
  better

Question 21

Memory enhancers overview

Answer 21

• small and inconsistent effect
• difficult to seperate memory effects from attention and motivation
• ethical issues