3. Neurodevelopment 2 Flashcards
What is the concept of bipotential? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
During prenatal development, male and female anatomy is the same
What does the males SRY gene cause? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
- Primitive glands develop
- Testosterone produced
- Development of wolffian ducts to develop into seminal vesicles and vas deferens
- Mullerian inhibiting hormore released (degeneration of the mullerian ducts/potential ovaries)
What do gonadal hormones do for males and females? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
- Males = increase androgen, decrease estrogen
- Females = decrease androgen, increase estrogen
What is the role of androgen in sex assignment? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
- Determines the masculinisation of the fetus
- Associated with sexual desire
What are the two effects of sex hormones and when do they occur? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
- Organising effects (shortly after birth & just before puberty)
- Activating effects (any point across life)
What behaviour did female rats show when injected with testosterone after birth? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
Male typical behaviors e.g. mounting from behind
What neurons develop later in life? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
- Olfactory bulb
- Hippocampus
What does a closed head injury refer to? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
Sharp blow to the head that does not puncture the brain
What does a stroke/cerebrovascular accident refer to? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
Temporary loss of blood flow to the brain due to a blockage or hemorrhage (aneurysm)
What does recovery from brain injury involve? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
Collateral sprouting
What is collateral sprouting? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
Cells secreting neurotrophins to all new branches of existing neurons in the brain
What does plasticity in the brain refer to? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
The brain constantly changing based on experience
Why does plasticity n the brain occur? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
Because the brain continuously forms new synapses and prune others
What is the ‘use it of lose it’ principle? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
Synapses that are activated are maintained and strengthened, those that aren’t are eliminated
What did Rosenzweig & Bennet (1980) find? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
- Rats raised in enhanced environments, instead of a laboratory, developed a thicker cortex and had increased dendrite branching
- Increased dendrite branching was correlated with the ability to learn
What were Burton et al (2002) procedures and findings? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
- Asked good sighted and blind P’s to read braille letters and state if the items were the same or different
- Blind P’s performed significantly better
What is the difference in fMRI scans when reading braille between good sighted and blind participants? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
Blind patients had substantially more activity in the occipital cortex
Who studied imprinting and what is it evidence for? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
- Lorenz (1930)
- Critical period
What is an antisaccade task and what does it show? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
- Assesses the brains ability to inhibit visual reflexes
- Improves over time
What are the two age related memory impairment disorders? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
- Alzheimer disease
- Age associated memory impairment
What are the characteristics of Alzheimers? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
- Severe and rapid dementia
- Genetic component
What are the characteristics of age-associated memory impairment? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
- Low levels of severity in cognitive decline
- Widely seen in the general population
What do age related memory impairment patients have no deficits in? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
- Implicit memory tasks
- Short term memory tasks
- Recognition memory tasks
What do age related memory impairment patients have deficits in? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)
- Free/cued recall
- Retrospective data
- Prospective memory tasks
- Working memory tasks
