MEMORY

What is Bayesian inference?

A statistical method to calculate the probability, often used to predict sensory inputs based on prior knowledge.

What are the two main sources of Bayesian inference?

1. Sensory input 2. Prior knowledge (or belief)

In the tickling experiment, why can't a person tickle themselves?

Because they predict the sensory consequence of their own movement, they do not feel the tickle.

What happens when someone else tickles a person?

The person feels the tickle because they are not generating the movement command and thus cannot predict the sensory input.

What neurological structure is responsible for episodic memory?

The hippocampus and neo cortext

What happened to patient H.M. in 1957?

He had his medial temporal lobes removed, resulting in the inability to form new memories. Which the Hippocampus is in this region of the brain.

What is the connection between the hippocampus and neocortex in memory storage?

The hippocampus may initially encode memories, but old memories might be stored in the neocortex, which explains why HM could remember old memories but not new ones

What are the two theories of hippocampal function in memory consolidation?

1. Hippocampus-driven consolidation → The hippocampus actively “teaches” the neocortex by repeatedly replaying memories.

2. Cortex-driven consolidation → The neocortex organizes memories independently, integrating information over time.

What is hippocampal replay?

The reactivation of place cells during sleep, which supports memory consolidation. This helps strenegthen our episodic memory

What does 'Hebbian learning' refer to?

The process of strengthening neural connections through repeated activation.

What was discovered about memory patterns using multi-voxel MRI?

Different patterns of activation were identified when recalling remote versus recent memories and you could not tell whethere it was a remote or recent activation based of just the hippocampus

What is system level consolidation

How long-term memories become stablisied and re-organised in the brain over time 

What does the term 'sparse coding' refer to in the context of the hippocampus?

The activation of a subset of neurons in response to a memory while others remain inactive.

What is the purpose of sparse coding of the hippocampus?

1. It allows for more memories to be encoded 

2. Allows for pattern separation - making similar representations more distinct 

3. Auto-association = activation of an entire memory from activation of part of the neurons involved = role of spatial coding

What is procedural memory associated with?

Cerebellum and motor cortex.

What is an example of error-based learning?

Adjusting movements in response to feedback, such as in prism adaptation experiments.

Why can't you tickle yourself according to predictive coding?

Your brain perfectly predicts the sensory experience, leading to no error signal.

How is semantic memory structured according to the distributed plus hub model?

Semantic memory involves multiple sensory, motor, and association areas, with the anterior temporal lobe acting as a hub for integration.

What role does the anterior temporal lobe play in memory?

It integrates and generalizes information from different brain regions to help understand concepts.

What findings are associated with semantic memory impairments?

These impairments are correlated with atrophy in the anterior temporal lobe.

What is a consequence of having a larger CA3 in the hippocampus?

Individuals are better able to distinguish between different memories.

What does the term 'auto-association' refer to in episodic memory?

The ability to recall an entire memory from the activation of part of the neurons involved.