Memory how do we remember our past experiences?
Life without memory is hard to imagine. After all, imaginationrequires memory. (McGaugh, 2003)
Herbal supplements
Current interests in memory:
Nootropics
Public:
Scientific:
cognitive science
neuroscience
Welcome to PSYC3241 The Psychobiology
of Memory and Motivation
Well, how do we remember?learn by heart?
Scientific study of memory started about 125 years ago
Ebbinghaus
From Rudy 2008
How might we improve our memory?
rehearsal
I have discovered that it is of some use when you lie in
bed at night and gaze into darkness to repeat in your mind
the things you have been studying. Not only does it help the
understanding, but also the memory Leonardo daVinci
stress
Medieval practice
Stress-enhanced memory might not always be a good thing though
Our discussions will focus primarily on research with
non-human animals.
Some practical reasons for this focus
We will be exploring a variety of issues, both practical and
theoretical, pertaining to memory in this course.
But will often tie back to human memory issues
explicitly or at least implicitly.
From Rudy 2008
PSYC3241
Psychobiology of Memory and Motivation
Prof Rick Richardson - 511 Mathews
Dr Bronwyn Graham - 1311 Mathews
Lectures:
Thursday 2-3 and Friday 1-2 (both in CLB6)
recorded via Echo (is a link to this in course page in Moodle)
no guarantees that the system will always work though.
Tutorials: Tutorials (all in MAT 203): Monday 9-11, Monday 4-6,
Tuesday 11-1, Tuesday 4-6, Wednesday 9-11, Wednesday 2-4,
Thursday 4-6, and Friday 9-11.
Tutorials start in WEEK 2
Textbook: None; articles and review papers will be assigned throughout the
course.
Assessment:
1. Exam 1: 20% of final mark. Thursday 2 April at 2-3. Based on material
in first 8 lectures (all by RR), and the readings for those lectures.
4. Tutorial participation: 10% of final mark.
3. Research proposal: 30% of final mark. To be submitted electronically
to the course Moodle page by 4 pm on Friday of Week 12 (May 29).
2. Final Exam: 40% of final mark. During the formal exam period. Based on
material presented in all the lectures after the mid-session exam, and the
readings for those lectures.
General Overview (of RRs lectures)
1. Memory what is it?a. memory consolidation and reconsolidation
b. memory modification: amnesia and enhancement
3. Forgetting why does it occur?
a. theoretical models
b. empirical research
2. Types of memory (e.g., fear, spatial)
a. comparative analysis
b. developmental analysis
c. neuroanatomical analysis
PSYC3241
Outline Lecture 1
5 March 2015
1. General memory processes
2. Temporal gradient of retrograde amnesia
a. Duncan reverberatory circuit
b. passive avoidance
From McGaugh, 2000
From Rudy 2008
From Wixted, 2004
Duncan thought this amnesia was due to a disruption of memory consolidation
ECS caused an electrical storm that disrupted the reverberatory circuit
underlying memory.
What is evidence for this idea of memory consolidation?