Download Chapter 2 Summary

Chapter 2 Summary
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Neurons are the fundamental building blocks of the nervous system
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Memory is an emergent property
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Neurons have important features such as somas, dendrites, and axons
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The electrical component of neural communication is captured in the action potential
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The chemical component of neural communication is accomplished through
neurotransmitters released at the synapse
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Neurons alter their connections to one another to form memories through long-term
potentiation (LTP) or long-term depression (LTD)
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The brain is made up of substructure such as the hemisphere
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Each hemisphere is divided into four lobes – the temporal, frontal, parietal, and occipital
lobes
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Different parts of the cortex are involved in specialized processes
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The default mode network (DMN) is a collection of brain structures that are active when
a person is not strongly engaged in some activity
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The hippocampus is the most important subcortical structure for memory
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Different portions of the hippocampus are involved in the processing of objects or time
and space
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The amygdala is involved in processing emotional information
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The cerebellum and basal ganglia are involved in motor memories
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The diencephalon is involved in the routing and coordinating of information
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Computer-assisted tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans are
© 2017 Taylor & Francis
used to gain information about the structural characteristics of a person’s brain

Single-cell recordings and electroencephalography (EEG) recordings measure the
electrical activity in the brain

Event related potentials (ERPs) are changes in the pattern of electrical function in
response to an event

Brain activity can be disrupted through the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation
(TMS)

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) scans use magnetic fields to measure brain activity

Positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
scans use changes in blood flow to measure brain activity

Two other ways of assessing brain function are through studying people with brain
damage or well-known changes in function (e.g., the elderly)
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Memories become more stable over time through the process of consolidation
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Synaptic consolidation occurs through LTP in the hippocampus

Systems consolidation involves long-term memories becoming independent of the
hippocampus
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Reconsolidation occurs when a memory is reactivated – rendering it possible to alter the
information stored in the memory

Neurogenesis may also aid in the creation of new memories
© 2017 Taylor & Francis