Brain Physiology, Aging, Life Expectancy Flashcards
Involved in voluntary movement, thinking, personality, emotion, memory, sustained attention, and intentionality or purpose
Frontal lobes
Occipital lobes
function in vision
Temporal lobes
hearing, language processing, and memory
Parietal lobes
registering spatial location, focusing attention, maintaining motor control
Largest part of the human brain composed of gray and white matter
Cerebrum
contains the 4 lobes
cerebral cortex
the outer layer of the cerebrum (the cerebral cortex ), composed of folded gray matter and playing an important role in consciousness.
Phineas Gage
Pole through head
Minor physical impairments
Lost vision left eye
Paralysis left side of face
Damage of frontal lobe lead to changes of personality
Difficulty carrying through plans
Less inhibition
Gave us the idea that the brain might have specialized areas
Left brain specialization
Verbal/Spoken
Written language
Positive Emotion
Mathematical computations & Logic
Right Brain specialization
Spacial abilities Mathematical Reasoning Negative emotion Face recognition Processing Music Art Holsitic Processing (face perception) see whole face, rather than the parts
Specialization of function in the Left or Right brain hemispheres
Lateralization
R handed people have more specialization than L handed people
Neuron
nerve cells that handle information processing
Neurons start to move to the right locations and become connected during ________
Prenatal period
basic architecture of the brain is assembled during
first 2 trimesters
T or F? new neurons are generated during the 5th prenatal week and throughout the rest of the prenatal period
True
cells move around to appropriate locations creating different levels, structures, and regions of the brain
neuronal migration
connections between neurons occurs during which prenatal weeks?
20-23
stimulating/enriched environment for infants results in ______
better brain growth
T or F? Children who grow up in a deprived environment may have better brain activity
False - they may have depressed brain activity
Can the effects of deprived environments be reversed?
Brain is flexible and resilient
Front part of babies brain has depressed activity due to mom’s depression in their 1st year of life resulting in various forms of neglect is referred to as ________
SAD brain
Permanent if mom doesn’t turn around within 1 year.
Brain Plasticity
If part of brain is damaged, other parts can take over tasks it would have handled
1st few yrs of life brain is highly plastic
recovery after early brain injury is greater for language than spatial skills
Crowding effect
Cost of High Plasticity
multiple tasks must be done by a smaller amount of brain tissue resulting in less ability to process info quickly and accurately.
Brandi Binder
- Over 200 seizures a day
- Removed right side of brain
- Through stimulation her left side eventually could do right brain activities
- 10 yrs after surgery she could walk
- A’s in algebra
- 2 drawings in congress offices
- graduated HS as a member of the National Honors Society
T or F? Plasticity in adulthood is non existent
False: Plasticity is more limited in adulthood, but it can occur.
- stroke victims show recovery (language/motor skills)
- structures reorganize
myelination
The process of encasing axons with a myelin sheath, thereby improving the speed and efficiency of information processing.
Baby brain boosters
- talk to babies a lot
- open ended play time
- avoid tv for children under 2
- 5 yrs or older some TV may improve brain function
- physical activity
- learn musical instrument
Principle of Hierarchical Integration
Simple skills develop separately and independently.
They are later integrated into more complex skills.
Example, grasping a ball…. Can’t be mastered until baby can control and integrate movements with fingers.
Cephalocaudal pattern
From top (head) and gradual to bottom
Proximodistal pattern
Center of body outward to extremities
Principle of the independence of systems
The body systems grow at different rates.
Sarcopenia
muscle mass and strength loss
Leonard Hayflick’s theory that the number of times human cells can divide is about 75 to 80. As we age, our cells become less able to divide.
cellular clock theory
A microbiological theory of aging stating that people age because when their cells metabolize energy, they generate waste that includes unstable oxygen molecules that damage DNA and other structures.
free-radical theory
The theory that aging is caused by the decay of the mitochondria, which are tiny cellular bodies that supply energy for cell function, growth, and repair.
mitochondrial theory
The theory that aging in the body’s hormonal system can lower resistance to stress and increase the likelihood of disease.
hormonal stress theory
Primary vs. secondary aging
If primary aging is purely biological (intrinsic), secondary aging describes the environmental aspect of aging (extrinsic)—the idea that our lifestyle choices can certainly have an impact on our long-term wellbeing and even the aesthetic effects of aging.
Nun study
Nuns had full blown alzheimers but were acting normally
- keep minds active
- higher education
- live in supportive community
- spiritual faith
Intellectually challenging life
Positive emotions early in adulthood linked to longevity.
Service-based tasks linked to moderate declines in intellectual skills.
High levels of folic acid in the blood protective of Alzheimer’s and stroke.
