Learning and Memory Term Paper

The development of neuroscience contributed to the emergence of new branches of the study of human anatomy and, especially brain functioning. The neuroscience paved the way to the development of such, relatively new science as neuroanatomy which deals with the study of the anatomy of the nervous tissue and neural structures of the nervous system. In this respect, it is important to lay emphasis on the fact that findings and researches in the field of the neuroanatomy are closely intertwined with learning and memory because these findings and researches help scientists to reveal the physics of memory, namely how people acquire, process and retain knowledge in their memory. In fact, the entire process of learning is inseparable from human memory, because people should retain the knowledge they acquire in the course of learning in their memory, while the neuroanatomy helps to understand the functioning and processes that occur in the brain and the nervous system via nervous tissues and neural structures.

In actuality, the neuroanatomy is closely related to learning and memory because it helps to understand the essence of learning and how memory functions. In this respect, many researchers point out that the entire learning process and processes that are related to memory can be reduced to the interaction between neurons, their functioning and neural structures which maintain the functioning of the nervous system in humans. In other words, neurons through nervous tissue and neural structures transmit signals within the nervous system. These signals may be viewed as a sort of data being transmitted throughout the nervous system. The learning process implies the activation of the transmission of signals within the nervous system through nervous tissues and neural structures. For instance, when an individual learns a new movement, the learning process as well as the movement proper, naturally involves the work of the nervous system. To make the movement, the brain sends a signal to the concrete part of human body which has to make the movement. The signal is transmitted from the brain to the part of the body, for instance, hand. As a result, the person makes the movement. The repetition of one and the same movement leads to the steady improvement of the movement for the individual has to learn how to make the movement, while through training, in the case of the movement, the repetition of the movement, the individuals learns how to move and do it perfectly well. In such a way the learning occurs and the learning occurs because the signal sent by the brain to the part of the body is repeated regularly and the nervous tissue and neural structures get this movement trained in a way. The constant repetition leads to the development of close links within the nervous system and the more trained the movement is the faster the signal is transmitted and the response of the part of the body occurs. At this stage, the learning is impossible without memory because the neural connections formed in the result of the repetition of the movement need to be retained in the memory. For this purpose neural structures and nervous tissue are used too.

In such a way, the neuroanatomy contributes to the learning and retention of the learned skills and knowledge in human memory for the aforementioned example can be extrapolated on any skill or knowledge acquired by an individual.