Studying at York
Memory & The Brain - PSY00064M
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 2 2024-25 |
Module aims
Our memories make us who we are. They allow us to delve into our past and project ourselves into the future. They are also hugely shaped by our emotions, mood, and mental health. How does the brain support something so complex, subjective and personal and why do these processes sometimes go wrong?
This module will explore the cognitive neuroscience of long-term memory, with a specific focus on episodic and spatial memory. We will explore this topic from a wide variety of methodologies – from traditional experimental psychology, to neuropsychology, to brain imaging, to electrophysiological recordings. We will discuss how we remember and how we forget, and how these processes can be affected by emotion and mental health.
Module learning outcomes
- Demonstrate an understanding of the complexities involved in the study of long-term memory
- Compare and contrast memory research at different scales, from individual neurons to cortical networks
- Critically appraise research related to episodic and spatial memory
- Demonstrate a deep understanding of the neural circuitry of the medial temporal lobe, including the hippocampus
- Evaluate the main theoretical accounts of hippocampal function and dysfunction
Module content
- Memory systems and declarative memory
- Episodic and semantic memory
- Recollection and familiarity
- Medial Temporal Lobe architecture
- Pattern separation and pattern completion
- Functional neurons in the medial temporal lobes
- Process and representational accounts of the medial temporal lobes
- Remembering and Forgetting
- Memory and Emotion
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
The marks on all assessed work will be provided on e-vision.
Indicative reading
The following review papers will give an reasonable overview of some of the topics and issues covered in the module:
- Horner, A.J., & Doeller, C.F. (2017) Plasticity of hippocampal memories in humans, Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 43, 102-109.
- Burgess, N., Maguire, E. A, & O’Keefe, J. (2002). The human hippocampus and spatial and episodic memory. Neuron, 35(4), 625–641.
- Yonelinas, A.P., & Ritchey, M. (2015). The slow forgetting of emotional episodic memories: An emotional binding account. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 19(5), 259-267.