"the interactions between specific regions of the brain (cerebral cortex, hippocampus, amygdala and cerebellum) in the storage of long-term memories, including implicit and explicit memories"
can someone please provide me with an explanation of this dot point? i cant seem to understand it no matter how much i try
I think the text books all did a really bad job at explaining this dotpoint
so i'll try to help give you a summary of only the stuff you need!
1/ Long term memory can be subcategorized into two types of memory
-implcit memories: which are long term memories that are unconsciously retrieved, and involve all of the behaviours, habbits and responses, skills that can usually only be expressed as actions.
implicit memories include procedural memories: memories that enable us to carry out tasks without conscious effort
they can also include classically conditioned responses, and implicit emotional responses
-explicit memories are long term memories of facts, knowledge of information that is consciously and intentionally retrieved
- can be semantic: explicit memories that are impersonal
-episodic: memories that are personally significant and considered 'auto biographical'
2/ interactions between brain regions:
formation of explicit memories
The hippocampus (located in the medial temporal lobe) consolidates explicit semantic and episodic memories, by transferring this information from short term memory to long term memory. The hippocampus
interacts with the cerebral cortex as it transfers explicit long term memories to this brain region. The cerebral cortext is therefore involved in the long term storage of explicit episodic and semantic memories.
formation of implicit memoriesthe cerebellum is involved in the consolidation and long term storage of implicit memories such as procedural memories as well as classically conditioned memories. This brain region interacts with the basal ganglia- the striatum in particular, in order to consolidate and store implicit memories.
formation of emotionally arousing memories (which have an implicit emotional component as well as an explicit episodic component)When released into the brain following an emotionally arousing experience, noradrenaline activates the amygdala. The amygdala registers the experience as significant, activating the nearby hippocampus, as the two brain structures interact and work together to consolidate the emotionally arousing memory- however none are particularly a site of storage. The amygdala consolidates the implicit emotional component of the memory, while the hippocampus will consolidate the explicit episodic component of the event, the hippocampus will then interact with the cerebral cortex, so that the cerebral cortex permanently stores the episodic component of the emotionally arousing memory.
evidence for the existence of different types of LTMs and the fact that different brain regions have different memory functions stems from research into case studies of individuals who have sustained damage to a particular region of the brain.