Reply
A minimum of 150 words each and References Response (#1 – 6) KEEP RESPONSE WITH ANSWER EACH ANSWER NEED TO HAVE A SCHOLARY SOURCE with a Hyperlink
Make sure the Responses includes the Following: (a) an understanding of the weekly content as supported by a scholarly resource, (b) the provision of a probing question. (c) stay on topic
1. I agree that our memory is quite unique, and everyone is different when it comes to memory. Some people will have better long-term memory others will have great short-term memory. Not only does the age, play a factor but education, injuries, medical conditions, etc. I think that it can be very complex when it comes to memory but each aspect plays a role in our lives. Sensory memory is interesting to me because it is fast and there is a higher capacity to it. Also, you are not consciously aware of it, meaning you did not even realize you remembered something. I do like the example in the textbook that mentions, “The auditory verbal information just presented to you seems to persist as a sort of echo in your head, even when you are not really paying attention to it” (Gazzaniga, Ivry & Mangun, 2018, p.384). Sensory memory is quick, it is when you pull a piece of information almost out of nowhere. I believe that sensory memory has the biggest difference compared to the rest because the information can be random, and it does not even require your full attention. It is not something you learn or have seen; it can be a quick statement from someone and when asked to repeat you can whether or not you paid attention. Also the fact that a short-term memory can turn into long-term or even that it goes straight to long-term is fascinating because it shows that no piece of information is truly the same. They all process differently in our brain, therefore they result in different outcomes.
2. According to Gazzaniga, Ivry, and Mangun (2018), the four types of memory are sensory, short-term, working, and long-term. Sensory memory is a very short-lived memory and does not use one’s consciousness to process information. Instead, sensory memory works as a filter for the mass amount of information the brain takes in. If the information is deemed worth keeping, it is then transferred to short-term memory and working memory. Short-term memory stores information for a minimal amount of time, while working memory allows for an individual to process the information and consciously accomplish their tasks at hand. Both short-term and working memory are limited with the amount of information that can be stored at a time. This is because one only being able to focus on a certain number of tasks and still be cognizant of what is going on. Meanwhile, long-term memory allows for information to be stored for years. This is done as a means to later retrieve the information for decision making and task accomplishment (Gazzaniga, Ivry, & Mangun, 2018).
3. Declarative memory is the part of the memory that a person can consciously access. There are two main types of this type of memory: episodic and semantic. Provide examples of each, using real-life experiences.
4. Alzheimer's, this disease destroys neurons and their connections in parts of the brain that are involved in memory including the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex (Holger, 2013). A normal healthy brain should contain hundreds of billions of neurons, neurons are specialized cells meant for processing and transmitting information by electrical as well as chemical signals (Gazzaniga, Ivry & Mangun, 2018). Neurons are the ones that send information/messages between various parts of the brain, and between the brain and the muscles and organs of the body. When Alzheimer's disease hits in, it disrupts this communication among neurons and eventually causes loss/damage of function and cell death (Holger, 2013). Many neurons would stop functioning, fail to connect with other neurons, and die. The connections of neurons in parts of the brain associated with memory including the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex will also get destroyed (Holger, 2013). Hippocampus and entorhinal cortex enable us to learn new information and remember recent events, when these parts are destroyed, a patient would start finding it difficult to remember recent events but with little trouble remembering old events (Gazzaniga, Ivry & Mangun, 2018). As the disease progresses, it would start affecting parts of the cerebral cortex which is responsible for language, reasoning, and social behavior (Gazzaniga, Ivry & Mangun, 2018). Many parts of the brain will get damaged and over time, a person suffering from this disease would lose the ability to live and function independently.
5. One type of memory deficit the brain can experience is retrograde amnesia. This type of amnesia can become apparent after a brain injury. Studies done as recently as the 90s have proven that lesions in the parietal lobe which contains the retrosplenial cortex can attribute to both retrograde and anterograde amnesia (Gazzaniga, 2018). In addition, this region of the parietal lobe has also been in connection with Alzheimer’s disease (Gazzaniga, 2018) thus, providing more evidence that the parietal lobe is associated with memory deficits. Retrograde amnesia is the loss of memory before the injury occurred (Gazzaniga, 2018). Amnesia displays memory recall or processing issues. Depending on where the lesion was obtained will determine what type of memory deficit will occur (Gazzaniga, 2018). This type of amnesia can be a temporary effect and my only last a few seconds (Gazzaniga, 2018). This type of amnesia is the type commonly seen in movies or tv shows. Can anyone think of a movie or tv show this type of amnesia was displayed and how the medical professions described the injury?
6. According to Gazzaniga, Ivry, and Mangun (2018), one type of memory deficit is known as vascular dementia. This type of dementia (lack of cognitive function) is due to a shortage of oxygen to neural tissue, as well as cell death. In turn, the lack of oxygen causes ruptures in arterial vessels and cerebral arteries creating the cognitive malfunction. This is often times due to major or minor strokes that occur in the brain. Although multiple parts of the brain can be affected depending upon where the stroke occurs, memory processing is disrupted through the blockage of the vessels. Because different locations of the brain can be impacted, the symptoms of vascular dementia can also show in different ways. Vascular dementia is second only to Alzheimer’s in how common of an occurrence it is. Additionally, this type of dementia can be aggravated by other forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s, which occurs in 50 percent of dementia cases (Gazzaniga, Ivry, & Mangun, 2018).