3. The Newborn Baby Flashcards
Discuss the sensory capabilities of the following in newborns:
1. Touch
2. Balance
3. Smell
4. Taste
5. Hearing
6. Vision
- Pain, pressure, proprioception, temperature
- Vestibular system
- Can smell
- Salt, bitter, sweet, sour
- Lower frequencies - ability to localise sounds improves over first 7 years of life
- About 20/400 at birth, improves to 20/20 at about 6 months
What does the fact some reflexes are vestigial mean?
These reflexes have partially or wholly lost their original function
What are two neonatal behavioural orienting responses?
- Visual tracking
- Auditory tracking
What are two reflexes related to the following:
1. Clinging
2. Breastfeeding
3. Locomotion
- Palmar & plantar grasp, Moro
- Rooting, sucking
- Crawling, stepping
Most neurons are present at birth, but glia continue to multiply. What is the purpose of glia?
Glia provide structural support, maintenance and insulate neuronal axons with myelin
What is myelination?
Formation of fatty sheathes around axons
Why is myelination important?
Important as means information can be transmitted at 10-100 m/s instead of 1 m/s
Define synaptogenesis
Formation of new connections between neurons (facilitated by myelination)
What is the purpose of oligodendrocytes?
Lay down myelin sheaths in the central nervous system
In the peripheral nervous system, myelination is done by what?
Schwann cells
What are two pieces of evidence for critical and sensitive periods in brain development?
- Sensory deprivation studies
- Effects of extreme social deprivation on brain development
If children born with cataracs don’t get them fixed by age 7, what happens?
They cannot even learn to see properly
Need visual input early in life in order for visual system to develop, connect and function properly
When is the optimum time to have cataracs operated on?
3 months
The closer to 3 months, the better
