Memory & Emotion

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Memory & Emotion Objectives

Describe what forms when you make a memory, and the role of nutrition and sleep.
Describe the significance of goal insight, repetition, trial and error, and reduction of interferences in making memories.
Explain how neurotransmitters relate to emotions and how neurotransmitters can relate to depression.

At the most basic level, a memory is formed when neurons synaptically connect together. This video introduces the process of making memories.

Memory has two components: memory formation and memory recall. Games are sometimes used to strengthen both of these processes.

Four factors can increase the likelihood of learning:

Goal Insight: Knowing what the task is and what successful completion looks like.

Repetition: Trying something over and over until you figure out the most successful process.

Trial & Error: Being willing to make mistakes and learning from mistakes to improve performance.

Reduction of Interferences: Finding and eliminating possible distractions that may interfere with learning.

Determine the impact of goal insight, repetition, trial & error, and reduction of interferences on successful completion of this finger maze.

Some sensory experiences like certain scents and tastes can form a strong memory. It could be a familiar family dish, or a loved one’s perfume. Scent, taste, and memory centers in the brain overlap, including in portions of the thalamus and frontal lobe.

If you have a cold or allergies and temporarily lose your sense of smell, you may also have difficulty tasting food. The neural interpretation of scents and tastes are often synaptically connected and with incomplete olfactory input, the brain can find it challenging to recognize a taste.

Hands off my doughnuts!

In some cases it is possible to purposely form new memories in order to alter behaviors and emotional responses.

Note: you may associate doughnuts and fish after watching this video.

Neural synapses also play a role in emotions, especially the neurotransmitters that signal the next neuron. This video provides a context for understanding the biological basis of emotions.

Emotions are impacted by both external and internal factors. The impact of external factors varies widely from person to person. A piece of art can elicit warm feelings of happiness in one person, sorrowful memories in another, or no emotional response at all.

Chronic stress can alter blood flow and impact neurotransmitters.

We will have more on the stress process in the next module.

This is the end of the Brain Guide. Material from this guide and corresponding lecture, as well as the previous Nervous System Guide, is assessed on the weekly quiz.

Check your knowledge. Can you:

describe what forms when you make a memory, and the role of nutrition and sleep?
describe the significance of goal insight, repetition, trial and error, and reduction of interferences in making memories?
explain how neurotransmitters relate to emotions and how neurotransmitters can relate to depression?