Eric Kandel

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Eric Kandel

• The study of memory functions in relation to
  synaptic changes in the brain structure called
  the hippocampus.
• By Rania Sydney

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• Kandel believed that memory storage must rely on
  modifications in the synaptic connections between
  neurons and that the complex connectivity of the
  hippocampus did not provide the best system for
  study of the detailed function of the synapses.

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Where is the hippocampus?
located inside the medial temporal lobe, beneath
the cortical surface
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What is the hippocampus?

• The hippocampus is a major component in the
  brains of humans and other mammals.
• It belongs to the limbic system and plays an
  important role in long-term memory and spatial
  navigation.
• It is a paired structure, with mirror-image
  halves in the left and right sides of the brain.

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What are synaptic changes?

• Synapses are junctions where neurons communicate.
  They are constantly growing and pruning
  themselves. These processes occur independently
  of one another.
• Synaptic plasticity (changes) is the ability of
  synapses to change their connective properties.
  It is triggered by its own independent chemical
  messaging system.

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• Kandel studied learning and memory at a cellular
  level in the sea snail Aplysia (a single celled
  organism). He founded that STM (short term
  memory) and LTM (long term memory) result in a
  synaptic change in the neural network. He also
  found that these changes are important in memory
  function.