The Neuroscience of Memory and its Disorders

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course examines cognitive-neuroscience theories concerning brain mechanisms that support the ability to remember and how disruption of these mechanisms produces clinical memory disorders. We will discuss three major concepts through which modern research on memory is organized: the concept of distinct brain systems that support memory (memory systems), the concept of brain reorganization as the biological basis of memories (neuroplasticity and the engram), and the concept that memories actively change over time (consolidation and forgetting). For each of these concepts, we will discuss the historical development, evaluate relevant neuroscience research, and explore implications for understanding memory impairments caused by neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, brain trauma, epilepsy, and others.