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BP Chapter 17
Learning and Memory
58
Biology
Undergraduate 3
12/04/2013

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Term
amnesia
Definition
Severe impairment of memory.
Term
AMPA receptor
Definition
A glutamate receptor that also binds the glutamate agonist AMPA. Responsible for most of the activity at glutamatergic synapses.
Term
anterograde amnesia
Definition
The inability to form new memories beginning with the onset of a disorder.
Term
associative learning
Definition
A type of learning in which an association is formed between two stimuli or between a stimulus and a response; includes both classical and instrumental conditioning.
Term
border cell
Definition
A neuron that selectively fires when the animal arrives at the perimeter of the local spatial cognitive map.
Term
cell assembly
Definition
A large group of cells that tend to be active at the same time because they have been activated simultaneously or in close succession in the past.
Term
classical conditioning
Definition
A type of associative learning in which an originally neutral stimulus (the conditioned stimulus, or CS)—through pairing with another stimulus (the unconditioned stimulus, or US) that elicits a particular response—acquires the power to elicit that response when presented alone. A response elicited by the US is called an unconditioned response (UR); a response elicited by the CS alone is called a conditioned response (CR).
Term
cognitive map
Definition
A mental representation of a spatial relationship.
Term
conditional knockout
Definition
A gene that can be selectively deactivated either in specific tissues and/or at a specific stage of development.
Term
conditioning
Definition
A form of learning in which an organism comes to associate two stimuli, or a stimulus and a response.
Term
confabulate
Definition
To fill in a gap in memory with a falsification; often seen in Korsakoff’s syndrome.
Term
consolidation
Definition
A stage of memory formation in which information in short-term or intermediate-term memory is transferred to long-term memory.
Term
declarative memory
Definition
A memory that can be stated or described.
Term
delayed non-matching-to-sample task
Definition
A test in which the subject must respond to the unfamiliar stimulus of a pair.
Term
dentate gyrus
Definition
A strip of gray matter in the hippocampal formation.
Term
dishabituation
Definition
The restoration of response amplitude following habituation.
Term
encoding
Definition
A stage of memory formation in which the information entering sensory channels is passed into short-term memory.
Term
engram
Definition
The physical basis of a memory in the brain. Sometimes referred to as a memory trace on the assumption that it involves changes in a neural circuit rather than a single neuron.
Term
enriched condition (EC)
Definition
A condition in which laboratory rodents are group-housed with a wide variety of stimulus objects.
Term
episodic memory
Definition
Memory of a particular incident or a particular time and place.
Term
grid cell
Definition
A neuron that selectively fires when the animal crosses the intersection points of an abstract grid map of the local environment.
Term
habituation
Definition
A form of nonassociative learning in which an organism becomes less responsive following repeated presentations of a stimulus.
Term
Hebbian synapse
Definition
A synapse that is strengthened when it successfully drives the postsynaptic cell.
Term
hippocampus (pl. hippocampi)
Definition
A medial temporal lobe structure that is important for learning and memory.
Term
iconic memory
Definition
A very brief type of memory that stores the sensory impression of a scene.
Term
impoverished condition (IC)
Definition
A condition in which laboratory rodents are housed singly in a small cage without complex stimuli.
Term
instrumental conditioning
Definition
A form of associative learning in which the likelihood that an act (instrumental response) will be performed depends on the consequences (reinforcing stimuli) that follow it.
Term
intermediate-term memory (ITM)
Definition
A form of memory that lasts longer than short-term memory, but not as long as long-term memory.
Term
Korsakoff’s syndrome
Definition
A memory disorder, related to a thiamine deficiency, that is generally associated with chronic alcoholism.
Term
latent learning
Definition
Learning that has taken place but has not (yet) been demonstrated by performance.
Term
learning
Definition
The process of acquiring new and relatively enduring information, behavior patterns, or abilities, characterized by modifications of behavior as a result of practice, study, or experience.
Term
long-term memory (LTM)
Definition
An enduring form of memory that lasts days, weeks, months, or years and has a very large capacity.
Term
long-term potentiation (LTP)
Definition
A stable and enduring increase in the effectiveness of synapses following repeated strong stimulation.
Term
memory
Definition
The ability to retain information, based on the mental process of learning or encoding, retention across some interval of time, and retrieval or reactivation of the memory. The specific information that is stored in the brain.
Term
neuroplasticity
Definition
The ability of the nervous system to change in response to experience or the environment.
Term
NMDA receptor
Definition
A glutamate receptor that also binds the glutamate agonist NMDA (N-methyl-d-aspartate). The NMDA receptor is both ligand-gated and voltage-sensitive, so it can participate in a wide variety of information processing.
Term
nonassociative learning
Definition
A type of learning in which presentation of a particular stimulus alters the strength or probability of a response according to the strength and temporal spacing of that stimulus; includes habituation and sensitization.
Term
nondeclarative memory
Definition
A memory that is shown by performance rather than by conscious recollection.
Term
nootropics
Definition
A class of drugs that enhance cognitive function.
Term
patient H.M.
Definition
A patient who, because of damage to medial temporal lobe structures, was unable to encode new declarative memories. Upon his death we learned his name was Henry Molaison.
Term
patient K.C.
Definition
A patient who sustained damage to the cortex that renders him unable to form and retrieve new episodic memories, especially autobiographical memories.
Term
patient N.A.
Definition
A patient who is unable to encode new declarative memories, because of damage to the dorsal thalamus and the mammillary bodies.
Term
place cell
Definition
A neuron within the hippocampus that selectively fires when the animal is in a particular location.
Term
primacy effect
Definition
The superior performance seen in a memory task for items at the start of a list; usually attributed to long-term memory.
Term
priming
Definition
In memory, the phenomenon by which exposure to a stimulus facilitates subsequent responses to the same or a similar stimulus.
Term
protein kinase
Definition
An enzyme that adds phosphate groups (PO4) to protein molecules.
Term
recency effect
Definition
The superior performance seen in a memory task for items at the end of a list; attributed to short-term memory.
Term
reconsolidation
Definition
The return of a memory trace to stable long-term storage after it has been temporarily made volatile during the process of recall.
Term
retrieval
Definition
A process in memory during which a stored memory is used by an organism.
Term
retrograde amnesia
Definition
Difficulty in retrieving memories formed before the onset of amnesia.
Term
retrograde messenger
Definition
Transmitter that is released by the postsynaptic region, and travels back across the synapse, and alters the functioning of the presynaptic neuron.
Term
semantic memory
Definition
Generalized memory—for instance, knowing the meaning of a word without knowing where or when you learned that word.
Term
sensitization
Definition
A form of nonassociative learning in which an organism becomes more responsive to most stimuli after being exposed to unusually strong or painful stimulation. A process in which the body shows an enhanced response to a given drug after repeated doses.
Term
short-term memory (STM)
Definition
A form of memory that usually lasts only for seconds, or as long as rehearsal continues.
Term
skill learning
Definition
Learning to perform a task that requires motor coordination.
Term
standard condition (SC)
Definition
The usual environment for laboratory rodents, with a few animals in a cage and adequate food and water, but no complex stimulation.
Term
tetanus
Definition
An intense volley of action potentials.
Term
working memory
Definition
A buffer that holds memories available for ready access during performance of a task.
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