Summary Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory

A snapshot of the summary - Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory

• 1 Turning experiences into memory

• 1.1 What is memory?

• How do we get to know what is memory?

  By figuring out how and why it evolved

• 1.2 Why did memory evolve?

• Why did memory evolve?

  To predict the future.
• Is memory generalized or specific? Why?

  Generalized and specific. Specific for differentiating between small differences, for example poisonous berries. Generalized for recognizing more of the same kind, all wolves for example.

• 1.3 Nomenclature of memory

• Which two processes are known for memory?

  Formation and retrieval.
• Which two kinds of memory are known?

  Declarative and non-declarative

• 1.3.1 Declarative memory system

• Declarative memory can be characterized in four ways, name them:

  1. It is flexible
  2. It is consciously accessible
  3. It is able to compare events
  4. It is memory as a relational association (vs. Unconscious biasing as happens with non-declarative memory)

• 1.5.1 Novelty

• Which brain area is important for processing of novelty?

  Substantia nigra
• Why is the substantia nigra important for novelty processing?

  Because it is where dopamine is produced, and dopamine rewards the investigation of novel items, enhancing memory.

• 1.5.1.1 Tracking memory formation

• What is difference due to memory?

  It is when some studied items will be remembered and some forgotten in correlation with respectively higher and lower waveforms.
• What is the difference between high and low-frequency words with regard to processing?

  High frequency words are semantically processed in the rhinal cortex. Low frequency words are non-semantically processed in the HC.