Brain Physiology, Aging, Life Expectancy

Question 1

Involved in voluntary movement, thinking, personality, emotion, memory, sustained attention, and intentionality or purpose

Answer 1

Frontal lobes

Question 2

Occipital lobes

Answer 2

function in vision

Question 3

Temporal lobes

Answer 3

hearing, language processing, and memory

Question 4

Parietal lobes

Answer 4

registering spatial location, focusing attention, maintaining motor control

Question 5

Largest part of the human brain composed of gray and white matter

Answer 5

Cerebrum

contains the 4 lobes

Question 6

cerebral cortex

Answer 6

the outer layer of the cerebrum (the cerebral cortex ), composed of folded gray matter and playing an important role in consciousness.

Question 7

Phineas Gage

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Left brain specialization

Answer 8

Verbal/Spoken
Written language
Positive Emotion
Mathematical computations & Logic

Question 9

Right Brain specialization

Answer 9

Spacial abilities
Mathematical Reasoning
Negative emotion
Face recognition
Processing Music
Art
Holsitic Processing (face perception) see whole face, rather than the parts

Question 10

Specialization of function in the Left or Right brain hemispheres

Answer 10

Lateralization

R handed people have more specialization than L handed people

Question 11

Neuron

Answer 11

nerve cells that handle information processing

Question 12

Neurons start to move to the right locations and become connected during ________

Answer 12

Prenatal period

Question 13

basic architecture of the brain is assembled during

Answer 13

first 2 trimesters

Question 14

T or F? new neurons are generated during the 5th prenatal week and throughout the rest of the prenatal period

Answer 14

True

Question 15

cells move around to appropriate locations creating different levels, structures, and regions of the brain

Answer 15

neuronal migration

Question 16

connections between neurons occurs during which prenatal weeks?

Answer 16

20-23

Question 17

stimulating/enriched environment for infants results in ______

Answer 17

better brain growth

Question 18

T or F? Children who grow up in a deprived environment may have better brain activity

Answer 18

False - they may have depressed brain activity

Question 19

Can the effects of deprived environments be reversed?

Answer 19

Brain is flexible and resilient

Question 20

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 ________

Answer 20

SAD brain

Permanent if mom doesn’t turn around within 1 year.

Question 21

Brain Plasticity

Answer 21

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

Question 22

Crowding effect

Cost of High Plasticity

Answer 22

multiple tasks must be done by a smaller amount of brain tissue resulting in less ability to process info quickly and accurately.

Question 23

Brandi Binder

Answer 23

• 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

Question 24

T or F? Plasticity in adulthood is non existent

Answer 24

False: Plasticity is more limited in adulthood, but it can occur.

• stroke victims show recovery (language/motor skills)
• structures reorganize

Question 25

myelination

Answer 25

The process of encasing axons with a myelin sheath, thereby improving the speed and efficiency of information processing.

Question 26

Baby brain boosters

Answer 26

• 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

Question 27

Principle of Hierarchical Integration

Answer 27

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.

Question 28

Cephalocaudal pattern

Answer 28

From top (head) and gradual to bottom

Question 29

Proximodistal pattern

Answer 29

Center of body outward to extremities

Question 30

Principle of the independence of systems

Answer 30

The body systems grow at different rates.

Question 31

Sarcopenia

Answer 31

muscle mass and strength loss

Question 32

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.

Answer 32

cellular clock theory

Question 33

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.

Answer 33

free-radical theory

Question 34

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.

Answer 34

mitochondrial theory

Question 35

The theory that aging in the body’s hormonal system can lower resistance to stress and increase the likelihood of disease.

Answer 35

hormonal stress theory

Question 36

Primary vs. secondary aging

Answer 36

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.

Question 37

Nun study

Answer 37

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.