Memory and the Brain: Central Concepts - Chapter 2

Memory

The mental capacity to encode, store, and retrieve information and experiences.

Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)

A long-lasting enhancement in signal transmission between two neurons that results from stimulating them simultaneously.

Hebb's Rule

The principle that the synaptic strength of connections increases when the neurons on both sides of the synapse are activated together, summarized as 'cells that fire together, wire together'.

Synaptic Strength

The efficacy or power of a synapse to transmit signals between neurons, which can be modified through neural activity.

Engram

A physical trace of memory in the brain, often associated with changes in synaptic connectivity.

Hippocampus

A region of the brain crucial for the formation of new memories and is particularly important for episodic memory.

Field Excitatory Postsynaptic Potential (fEPSP)

A measurement used in studies of synaptic strength, reflecting the collective excitatory input of many synapses.

Second Messengers

Intracellular signaling molecules that propagate and amplify signals received by cell-surface receptors.

Kinase

An enzyme that modifies other proteins by chemically adding phosphate groups, which can change the protein's function.

Biochemical Factories

Components of the synapse responsible for synthesizing and organizing proteins and molecules necessary for synaptic function.