James L. McGaugh - Böcker

This book brings together an internationally respected group of researchers for the purpose of examining neuroplasticity, a topic of immense current interest in psychology, neuroscience, neuropsychology, and clinical neurology. The chapters represent state-of-the-art work on neuroplasticity at all levels: behavioural, neural, and molecular. They describe recent work on memory ranging from cellular morphological studies in invertebrates to research on the human brain made possible by new advances in neuroimaging technology. The book begins with an introductory chapter that considers the psychology of memory at the global, structural level. The remainder of the volume is divided into three parts. The first focuses on recent approaches, which are based in part on new technology, that aim to measure and describe activity in relatively large populations of neurons. The second focuses on memory at the level of brain systems. One major theme to emerge from work at this level is that memory is composed of multiple, separable components that can be identified with specific anatomical structures and connections. The third part of the book focuses on molecular and cellular studies that show how individual neurons and their synapses behave in a history-dependent manner. This research concerns both brief changes in synaptic plasticity as well as more lasting changes in connectivity, which depend on altered gene expression and contemporary research on the biology of memory.

This edited volume summarizes recent findings of leading researchers investigating the brain systems that underlie memory. The book reviews recent progress in understanding forms of memory in animals and humans and the interaction of cortical and subcortical systems in the regulation of memory. Special emphasis is given to the development of neural network models that attempt to link systems in the regulation of memory.It will be an invaluable source for cognitive psychologists, neuroscientists, and students interested in memory.

This book looks at what we have learned over the last century in attempting to discover how the brain enables us to acquire, retain, and use information based on experiences. The major central questions are: "What processes underlie the formation of new memories?" "What processes determine the strength of memories?" "Where are the changes underlying memory located?"

Catalyzed by the development of new neurobiological and behavioral techniques as well as new conceptual and theoretical approaches to the study of the relationship between brain and behavior, research exploring brain functions enabling learning and memory has greatly accelerated in recent years. The chapters in this book reflect current theoretical approaches to the study of brain and memory and provide new insights concerning the cellular bases of memory and the differential involvement of brain systems in different forms of memory. By presenting up-to-date summaries of research investigating brain mechanisms underlying learning and memory, these chapters help to place current findings in appropriate theoretical context, and further stimulate research inquiry attempting to understand how the brain makes memory.Divided into three sections, coverage in this volume includes:* a discussion of pharmacological approaches to the study of brain and memory;* a review of experiments using a variety of techniques, including brain lesions, brain grafting, and electrophysiological recording to investigate the role of different brain regions in learning and memory; and* an examination of molecular analyses of events associated with memory formation.

Catalyzed by the development of new neurobiological and behavioral techniques as well as new conceptual and theoretical approaches to the study of the relationship between brain and behavior, research exploring brain functions enabling learning and memory has greatly accelerated in recent years. The chapters in this book reflect current theoretical approaches to the study of brain and memory and provide new insights concerning the cellular bases of memory and the differential involvement of brain systems in different forms of memory. By presenting up-to-date summaries of research investigating brain mechanisms underlying learning and memory, these chapters help to place current findings in appropriate theoretical context, and further stimulate research inquiry attempting to understand how the brain makes memory.Divided into three sections, coverage in this volume includes:* a discussion of pharmacological approaches to the study of brain and memory;* a review of experiments using a variety of techniques, including brain lesions, brain grafting, and electrophysiological recording to investigate the role of different brain regions in learning and memory; and* an examination of molecular analyses of events associated with memory formation.