Neural basis of learning

Neural basis of learning

1. Learning, relatively permenent change in behaviour.. result of experience

   • Intentional, learning piano
   • Unintentional, watching or hearing someone else play piano
   • Active, reciting times tables
   • Passive, hearing about something

2. Behaviour not dependent on learning (innate)

   • Reflex actions
   • Fixed-action patterns
   • Maturation

3. Neural pathways

   • Neurons that fire together wire together
   • Structure
     • Dendrites
     • Axons
     • Neurotransmitters
       • Glutamate, initiates activity in the post synaptic neurons
       • Dopamine, strengthening of synaptic connections during learning

4. Plasticity, brain neural structure or function to be changed by experience

   • Developmental plasticity, during growth, predetermined
     • Synaptonenesis, forming new synapses
     • Synaptic pruning, eliminating synaptic connections
   • Adaptive plasticity, adjustment to experience after brain damage
     • Rerouting, undamaged neuron lost connection with active, may seek new active to connect
     • Sprouting, growth of nerve fibres with more branches to make new connections

5. Timing of experiences

   • Sensitive period, organism is more responsive to environmental stimuli
   • Experience- expectant learning, brain encounters experience that is expected
   • Experience dependent learning, learning that depends on exposure to specific experiences at any time
   • Critical period, most vulnerable to the deprivation or absence of certain stimuli

6. Areas of the brain associated with learning

   • Hippocampus
     • LTM formation
     • Forms encodes declarative
   • Amygdala
     • Processes and regulates emotional reactions, fear and anger
   • Ventral tegmental area (VTA), learnt through operant conditioning
   • basal ganglia
     • integrates sensory and motor information to enable smooth bodily movements
   • cerebellum
     • involved in muscular movement, balance and posture, learning motor skills as well as non-motor learning