UNIT 8 : Neuropsychology of Learning and Memory

These flashcards cover key concepts related to neuropsychology of learning and memory, including definitions, processes, and types of memory.

Learning

The process through which experience produces relatively permanent changes in behavior or knowledge.

Memory

The ability to store information and events from the past, retrieve them, and bring learned information to consciousness.

Encoding

The process of transforming information into a form that can be stored in memory.

Storage

The retention of encoded information over time.

Retrieval

The process of accessing stored information.

Multiple Memory Systems

Different kinds of learning and memory that rely on independent neural processes.

Amnesia

Partial or total loss of memory.

Anterograde Amnesia

Inability to acquire new memories after brain damage.

Global Anterograde Amnesia

Impairment in the ability to form new memories across multiple domains.

Retrograde Amnesia

Inability to access memories formed before brain injury.

Time-Dependent Retrograde Amnesia

Form of retrograde amnesia in which recent memories are more affected than older ones.

Childhood (Infantile) Amnesia

Loss of memory for the early years of life.

Fugue State

A transient form of memory loss involving loss of personal identity and autobiographical information.

Transient Global Amnesia

Sudden loss of old memories and inability to form new ones, usually a one-time event.

Sensory Memory

Brief storage of sensory information, including iconic, echoic, and haptic memory.

Short-Term Memory (STM)

Memory for recent events and their order, with limited capacity (7 \pm 2 items) and short duration.

Working Memory

A system for temporary storage and manipulation of information, mediated by frontal lobe networks.

Phonological Loop

Left-hemisphere working memory system specialized for verbal information.

Visuospatial Sketchpad

Right-hemisphere working memory system specialized for visual and spatial information.

Proactive Interference

Difficulty learning new information due to interference from previously learned material.

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

Memory system with large capacity and long duration, although retrieval may fail.

Explicit Memory

Conscious, intentional recollection of facts and events.

Episodic Memory

Memory for personal experiences and autobiographical events.

Semantic Memory

Memory for facts, concepts, and general knowledge about the world.

Autonoetic Awareness

Awareness of oneself as a continuous entity through time, allowing mental time travel.

Mental Time Travel

Ability to mentally revisit the past and imagine the future.

Hippocampus

Medial temporal lobe structure critical for forming new episodic memories.

Dentate Gyrus

Part of the hippocampus containing granular cells involved in sensory input processing.

Ammon’s Horn (CA1–CA4)

Hippocampal region containing pyramidal cells involved in memory output.

Perforant Pathway

Connection between the hippocampus and posterior temporal neocortex.

Fimbria-Fornix

Fiber tract connecting the hippocampus to the thalamus, prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, and hypothalamus.

Rhinal Cortex

Region bordering the hippocampus, including entorhinal and perirhinal cortices.

Entorhinal Cortex

Cortical area projecting to the hippocampus, involved in episodic memory.

Perirhinal Cortex

Cortical area involved primarily in semantic memory.

Ventral Pathway (“What” Pathway)

Processes object identity and contributes mainly to semantic memory.

Dorsal Pathway (“Where” Pathway)

Processes spatial information and contributes mainly to episodic memory.

Right Temporal Cortex

Involved in face recognition, spatial position, and maze learning.

Left Temporal Cortex

Involved in word-list recall and nonspatial associations.

Left Prefrontal Cortex

More involved in encoding episodic and semantic information.

Right Prefrontal Cortex

More involved in episodic memory retrieval.

Prosopagnosia

Impairment in recognizing faces.

Topographic Amnesia

Impairment in spatial orientation and navigation.

Implicit Memory

Nonconscious and unintentional memory for skills, habits, and conditioned responses.

Priming

Facilitation in processing a stimulus due to prior exposure without conscious awareness.

Word Completion Task

Priming task where participants complete word stems based on prior exposure.

Gollin Incomplete Figures Test

Test assessing implicit visual memory by recognizing progressively clearer images.

Procedural Memory

Memory for skills and habits acquired through practice.

Automatism

Performance of learned skills with minimal cognitive effort.

Classical Conditioning

Learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus.

Basal Ganglia

Involved in habit learning and procedural memory; impaired in Huntington’s disease.

Cerebellum

Critical for classical conditioning and motor learning.

Motor Cortex Plasticity

Reorganization of motor cortex during implicit skill learning.

Emotional Memory

Memory for affective properties of stimuli or events.

Amygdala

Key structure for emotional memory and fear conditioning.

Fear Conditioning

Association of a neutral stimulus with an aversive stimulus leading to a fear response.

Sympathetic Nervous System Activation

Physiological arousal regulated by the amygdala during emotional learning.

Korsakoff’s Syndrome

Amnestic disorder caused by thiamine deficiency, characterized by confabulation and lack of insight.

Confabulation

Production of fabricated or distorted memories without awareness.

Herpes Simplex Encephalitis

Viral infection causing medial temporal lobe damage and severe memory impairment.

Reconsolidation Theory

Memories reenter a labile state when recalled and are stored again as modified traces.

Multiple-Trace Theory

Different memory types depend on distinct brain regions; older memories are more resistant.

Systems Consolidation Theory

Hippocampus temporarily stores memories before transferring them to neocortex.

Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS-IV)

Battery assessing working memory, immediate and delayed recall, and recognition.

Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test (RBMT)

Assesses everyday memory functioning.

TOMAL-2

Test of verbal and non-verbal memory in children and adolescents.

California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT)

Assesses verbal learning, recall, recognition, and interference effects.

Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT)

Measures verbal learning and memory across multiple trials.

Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure Test

Assesses visual memory and constructional ability.

Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT)

Measures visual memory and visuoconstructive abilities.