Thinking, Memory and Learning

It is not yet possible to give a complete physiological explanation of the psychological phenomena of thinking, memory and learning. It is believed that thinking is based on complex physiological processes associated with the propagation of nerve impulses along certain neural pathways in the brain. It is possible that this or that thought is associated with the passage of nerve impulses along a closed neural circuit.

This kind of circuit could include from half a dozen to several hundred or more neurons and could be activated either by sensory impulses or impulses arising spontaneously in the brain. According to this theory, thoughts change when nerve impulses travel along a different “reverberating” circuit formed by a different group of neurons. Memories are thoughts that occur some time (measured in minutes, months, or years) after the initial occurrence of those thoughts and appear to be caused by the recirculation of impulses in the neural circuitry.

It has been suggested that the continuous passage of impulses across the synapses of a given circuit leads to a decrease in resistance at these synapses and increases the ability of the circuit to conduct nerve impulses. The learning process may involve repeated use of a particular neural pathway, eventually leading to a significant decrease in synaptic resistance. In recent years, it has been hypothesized that memory is associated with RNA synthesis and that each remembered event is encoded in the central nervous system by specific nucleotide sequences in RNA.

Interesting correlations have been established between RNA turnover and neural activity, but the physiological and biochemical basis of memory remains unclear. Some experiments, such as those in which animals learn to navigate a maze to obtain food or avoid electric shocks, have emphasized the role of trial and error in learning. In higher mammals - monkeys and humans - we also find the phenomenon of “understanding”, or the emergence of an “idea”.

After a few trials made at random, the subject grasps the essence of the solution to the problem and then solves it with constant success. Moods and emotions. Phenomena such as moods and emotions, as well as personality in general, also depend on the activity of the cerebral cortex, but the underlying neural mechanisms have not been clarified.

These manifestations, as well as other activities of the higher brain centers, are strongly influenced by the physiological state of the body; The state of the psyche can be dramatically affected by the state of the stomach. Hormones of various endocrine glands also affect the functioning of the brain; for example, many women experience periods of mental depression just before and during menstruation, and menopause (the period when the menstrual cycle stops, usually at the age of 40-50) is very often accompanied by deep emotional and mental disturbances.