Hoorcolleges CNS deeltentamen 2
Hoorcollege 7 – memory: varieties and mechanisms
Memory
o Encoding
o Storage
o Retrieval
Memory trace/ engram: alterations to the nervous system from
experiences.
Memory systems
Clive Wearing worst case of amnesia
o herpes simplex virus encephalitis severe damage to the medial
temporal lobe
Henry Molaison (patient H.M.) temporal love amnesia
o bilateral damage to the amygdala, entorhinal cortex and a large part
of the hippocampus medial temporal region
experiment with rhesus monkeys
lesions in 4 groups
1) no damage (control N)
2) damage to hippocampus (H)
3) damage to hippocampus and some surrounding cortex (H+)
4) damage to hippocampus and more surrounding cortex (H++)
delayed-nonmatch-to-sample task
1) the monkey is presented with a picture
2) it learns that there is a food reward underneath
3) but the food reward is then placed in the other box
4) two pictures are placed on top of it
5) the monkey has to learn that now the food is under a different
picture
,Henry Molaison no problems with working memory
Digit span test: presents a series of digits with increasing lengths that
you have to report back.
Patient K.F. motor cycle accident
o damage to left parieto-occipital cortex
o damage to working memory
Double association: one experimental variable affects one system, but
not the other, whereas another experimental variable affects the other
system, but not the first.
Henry Molaison no problems with declarative (explicit) memory
o problems with nondeclarative (implicit/ procedural) memory
Patient M.S. removal of part of the right occipital lobe due to epilepsy
Implicit and explicit word recognition task
1) read aloud 24 words twice
2) implicit test: 24 old and 24 new words briefly shown identify word
3) explicit test: 24 old and 24 new words indicate whether seen
before in the study
,Priming: change in the processing of a stimulus due to a previous
encounter with the same or a related stimulus.
o Perceptual priming: test cue and target are perceptually related
o Habituation/ repetition suppression
Sharpening of response/ increased neural efficiency: over
repetitions, neurons coding non-essential features become less active,
increasing selectivity and object identification.
o Conceptual priming: test cue and target are semantically or
associatively related prefrontal cortex
o Semantic priming: prime and target are semantically related
Nondeclarative memory
Skill learning: gradual improvement in performance due to repeated
practice basal ganglia
o Motor
o Motor sequence learning task response time decreases with
repetition
o When learning is mostly done, shift to more executive part of
the network
o Perceptual
o Skill-specific sensory areas
, Language-comprehension areas
Visual occipito-temporal lobe, fusiform gyrus (fusiform
face area)
FFA also becomes active when you get very skilled
at recognizing something
o Cognitive
o Weather prediction task
Predict rain vs. sunshine based on cards
Choice is followed by feedback allows learning
Probabilistic relation between cards/ combinations and
outcomes
MTL is more important for initial, conscious learning and the basal ganglia
are more important for slower, implicit learning.
Trace conditioning: in classical conditioning the neutral stimulus is
presented before the unconditioned stimulus. Thus, this requires memory
MTL
Operant conditioning cortico-basal ganglia loops
Goal-directed behavior: sensitive to action outcome
Habit formation: stimulus-drive action tendencies (S-R, response) that
have developed over time because of repeated reinforcement.
Outcome devaluation: to test if you do something because you want to,
or whether it is stimulus driven. This is done by taking away the value of
the outcome, to see is you still perform the same behavior.
o Satiation: animals are fed so much that they are full. When they
still work to obtain food, it is likely a habit.
o Taste aversion: making food look or taste unpleasant, when they
still eat it, it is likely a habit animals and humans
Hoorcollege 7 – memory: varieties and mechanisms
Memory
o Encoding
o Storage
o Retrieval
Memory trace/ engram: alterations to the nervous system from
experiences.
Memory systems
Clive Wearing worst case of amnesia
o herpes simplex virus encephalitis severe damage to the medial
temporal lobe
Henry Molaison (patient H.M.) temporal love amnesia
o bilateral damage to the amygdala, entorhinal cortex and a large part
of the hippocampus medial temporal region
experiment with rhesus monkeys
lesions in 4 groups
1) no damage (control N)
2) damage to hippocampus (H)
3) damage to hippocampus and some surrounding cortex (H+)
4) damage to hippocampus and more surrounding cortex (H++)
delayed-nonmatch-to-sample task
1) the monkey is presented with a picture
2) it learns that there is a food reward underneath
3) but the food reward is then placed in the other box
4) two pictures are placed on top of it
5) the monkey has to learn that now the food is under a different
picture
,Henry Molaison no problems with working memory
Digit span test: presents a series of digits with increasing lengths that
you have to report back.
Patient K.F. motor cycle accident
o damage to left parieto-occipital cortex
o damage to working memory
Double association: one experimental variable affects one system, but
not the other, whereas another experimental variable affects the other
system, but not the first.
Henry Molaison no problems with declarative (explicit) memory
o problems with nondeclarative (implicit/ procedural) memory
Patient M.S. removal of part of the right occipital lobe due to epilepsy
Implicit and explicit word recognition task
1) read aloud 24 words twice
2) implicit test: 24 old and 24 new words briefly shown identify word
3) explicit test: 24 old and 24 new words indicate whether seen
before in the study
,Priming: change in the processing of a stimulus due to a previous
encounter with the same or a related stimulus.
o Perceptual priming: test cue and target are perceptually related
o Habituation/ repetition suppression
Sharpening of response/ increased neural efficiency: over
repetitions, neurons coding non-essential features become less active,
increasing selectivity and object identification.
o Conceptual priming: test cue and target are semantically or
associatively related prefrontal cortex
o Semantic priming: prime and target are semantically related
Nondeclarative memory
Skill learning: gradual improvement in performance due to repeated
practice basal ganglia
o Motor
o Motor sequence learning task response time decreases with
repetition
o When learning is mostly done, shift to more executive part of
the network
o Perceptual
o Skill-specific sensory areas
, Language-comprehension areas
Visual occipito-temporal lobe, fusiform gyrus (fusiform
face area)
FFA also becomes active when you get very skilled
at recognizing something
o Cognitive
o Weather prediction task
Predict rain vs. sunshine based on cards
Choice is followed by feedback allows learning
Probabilistic relation between cards/ combinations and
outcomes
MTL is more important for initial, conscious learning and the basal ganglia
are more important for slower, implicit learning.
Trace conditioning: in classical conditioning the neutral stimulus is
presented before the unconditioned stimulus. Thus, this requires memory
MTL
Operant conditioning cortico-basal ganglia loops
Goal-directed behavior: sensitive to action outcome
Habit formation: stimulus-drive action tendencies (S-R, response) that
have developed over time because of repeated reinforcement.
Outcome devaluation: to test if you do something because you want to,
or whether it is stimulus driven. This is done by taking away the value of
the outcome, to see is you still perform the same behavior.
o Satiation: animals are fed so much that they are full. When they
still work to obtain food, it is likely a habit.
o Taste aversion: making food look or taste unpleasant, when they
still eat it, it is likely a habit animals and humans
