Class 15 - Brain Development

Question 1

Developing brains are platic?

Answer 1

infancy and adolesence are periods of high developmental plasticity. Brain is malleable;predisposed to change in response to experiance.

Question 2

advantage and disadvantage to brain plasticity

Answer 2

opportunitys allow us to learn and grow to positive situations

but we are also at risk because we are vulnerable to physical or psychological harm

Question 3

Developmental plasticity vs Adult platicity

Answer 3

Developmental plasticity

(exuberent) Overkill development of brain neurons and circuits.

Predisposed to being modified

brain development is easily influenced by wide variety of experiances.

Adult plasticity

minor modifications to existing brain and circuits.

predisposed to stability

for changes to occur adults need to pay more attention and give special meaning to experiance

Question 4

Prenatal developement neural tube

Answer 4

during the embryonic period of prenatal developement the neural tube forms with in 2-8 weeks. which is the base for the central nervous system.

Question 5

prenatal brain development 4 processes

Answer 5

1. neurogenisis-formation of new neurons in the brain *starts in 5th week of embryonic period and continues into fetal period some even into adult hood.
2. neural migration:neurons move from the centre of the neural tube outward

3, nueral differeantiation. neurons are genetically programmed to go to specific areas of brain.

4. synaptogenisis:formation of synaptic connections between neurons. continues after birth many connections early on very dense.

Question 6

Synaptic pruning and myalination.

Answer 6

Synaptic pruning takes away unnesscary neuron conections
peaks at age 10

meyelanition: axon is coated by fats to speed up communication.

Question 7

Grey matter development in childhood

Answer 7

5-8 y sensory and motor reigons thin to adult levels

6-11 y pariatal and temporal reigons thin to adult levels

11y-adulthood frontal lobe gradually thins until early adulthood.

Question 8

Brain development in adolesence and puberty

Answer 8

brain recognizes itself through adolesence from puberty to adult hood.

gradual refinment of neural networks

development of social brain (puberty horomones go up and they become sensitive to oxytocin)

development of subcortical (limbic regions) including reward network

maturation of prefrontal cortext

Question 9

Brain development and risk taking dual systems model

Answer 9

limbic reigons grow faster which leads to risky behaviour.

the prefrontal cortext that wants to slow them down developes later in life.