Exam 3: Learning, Memory, and Amnesia

Lecture 2

Who was H.M?

underwent bilateral medial temporal lobectomy to remove his temporal lobes, including the hippocampus to treat a severe case of epilepsy.

What is retrograde amnesia?

deficits in memory of past events

What is anterograde amnesia?

deficits in making new memories

What is short term memory?

storage of new information for brief periods of time while a person attends to it.

What is long term memory?

storage of new information once the person stops attending to it.

What is implicit memory?

unconscious awareness of long-term memories. (requires no effort to retrieve).

What is explicit memory?

conscious awareness long-term memories. (requires effort to retrieve)

What is medial temporal amnesia?

Difficulty in forming explicit long-term memories, while retaining the ability to form implicit long-term memories.

What is semantic memory?

explicit memories for general facts or information

What is episodic memory?

episodic memories are explicit memories for specific moments in one’s life

What are repetition priming tests?

assessments used to test implicit memory

Patients are given a list of words (no need to remember), then they are given an incomplete word, and people can write the correct word with no memory of the list

What is Korsakoff’s syndrome?

a disorder of memory that is most common in people who have consumed large amounts of alcohol.

As Korsakoff’s syndrome progresses, ___________, which can eventually extend back into childhood, also develops.

retrograde amnesia

There is always damage to the ______________ in Korsakoff’s syndrome patients.

mediodorsal nuclei of the thalamus

The level of acetylcholine is greatly reduced in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. This reduction results from the degeneration of the __________.

basal forebrain

The amnesia following a closed-head Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is called ___________.

posttraumatic amnesia

What is a coma?

(pathological state of unconsciousness) following a severe blow to the head

What is memory consolidation?

The translation of short-term memories into long-term memories

True/False: The longest memories are less skewed.

False

Explain Hebb’s theory of memory consolidation.

argued that memories stored in the short-term are susceptible to disruption (through a blow to the head), but once they undergo structural changes in the synapse, they are stored in long-term memory

What is Electroconvulsive shock (ECS) used for?

A controlled method of studying how much time is needed for memory consolidation.

What is Electroconvulsive shock (ECS)?

An intense, brief, diffuse, seizure-inducing current that is administered to the brain through large electrodes attached to the scalp.

How is the hippocampus involved in memory consolidation?

memories are temporarily stored in the hippocampus until they can be transferred to a more stable cortical storage system.

What are the five main areas of memory storage?

inferotemporal cortex

amygdala

prefrontal cortex

cerebellum

striatum

In particular, the ____________plays an important role in storing memories ofvisual input.

inferotemporal cortex

The___________ is thought to play a special role in memory for the emotional significance of experiences. (fear)

amygdala

Damage to the _________ is associated with deficiencies in procedural memory, attention, and task management.

prefrontal cortex

The _________is thought to participate in the storage of memories of learned sensorimotor skills.

cerebellum

The ___________ is thought to store memories for consistent relationships between stimuli and responses. (habit formation)

striatum