BIOLOGY 2C03 Lecture Notes - Anxiolytic, Nmda Receptor, Fear Conditioning
28 Jan 2013
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Document Summary
Memory: the hippocampus plays a critical role in the consolidation of memory, working and long-term memory are qualitatively distinct. Patient h. m. , who has a hippocampus lesion, has intact long-term and working memory, but is unable to form new long-term memories: procedural memory is different than declarative memory. H. m. is able to improve in motor tasks with practice, but does not recall that practice has occurred. Mammillary bodies and anterior thalamus are also linked to memory consolidation. Fmri and pet studies suggest right hippocampus is important in spatial memory whereas left hippocampus is important in declarative/verbal memory. Fear conditioning is mediated by the amygdala. Fear conditioning using a neutral auditory stimulus does not use nmda receptor dependent form of ltp. Although there is cortical input to the amygdala, it is not necessary for fear conditioning due to direct sensory input to the amygdala. There appears to be a dissociation between explicit/cognitive vs. implicit/ subconscious emotional responses.
