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The Biology of Memory

The Hippocampus is part of a system that directs many bodily functions: the limbic system. This
system is located in the brain's medial temporal lobe, near the center of the brain.
The hippocampus is involved in the storage of long-term memory, which includes all past
knowledge and experiences.

Muscle Memory is controlled here

Acetylcholine: Acetylcholine (ACh) is an organic chemical that functions in the brain and body of many types of
animals, including humans, as a neurotransmitter—a chemical released by nerve cells to send signals to other cells.[1] Its name is
derived from its chemical structure: it is an ester of acetic acid and choline. Parts in the body that use or are affected by
acetylcholine are referred to as cholinergic. Substances that interfere with acetylcholine activity are called anticholinergics.
Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter used at the neuromuscular junction—in other words, it is the chemical that motor neurons of
the nervous system release in order to activate muscles. This property means that drugs that affect cholinergic systems can have
very dangerous effects ranging from paralysis to convulsions. Acetylcholine is also used as a neurotransmitter in the autonomic
The Biology of Memory

nervous system, both as an internal transmitter for the sympathetic nervous system and as the final product released by
the parasympathetic nervous system.[1]
In the brain, acetylcholine functions as a neurotransmitter and as a neuromodulator. The brain contains a number of cholinergic
areas, each with distinct functions. They play an important role in arousal, attention, memory and motivation.
Partly because of its muscle-activating function, but also because of its functions in the autonomic nervous system and brain, a
large number of important drugs exert their effects by altering cholinergic transmission.

Neuron: A neuron, also known as a neurone and nerve cell, is an electrically excitable cell that receives,


processes, and transmits information through electrical and chemical signals. These signals between neurons
occur via specialized connections called synapses. Neurons can connect to each other to form neural
networks. Neurons are the primary components of the central nervous system, which includes
the brain and spinal cord, and of the peripheral nervous system, which comprises the autonomic nervous
system and the somatic nervous system.

Neural Coding: Neural coding is concerned with how sensory and other information is represented in
the brain by neurons. The main goal of studying neural coding is to characterize the relationship between
the stimulus and the individual or ensemble neuronal responses, and the relationships amongst the electrical
activities of the neurons within the ensemble. It is thought that neurons can encode
both digital and analog information.

Nervous System: The nervous system is the part of an animal that coordinates its actions by
transmitting signals to and from different parts of its body. The nervous system detects environmental changes
that impact the body, then works in tandem with the endocrine system to respond to such events

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