Development Flashcards
When does brain development begin?
During the third week of pregnancy.
What is the first structure which forms?
The neural plate.
What happens to the neural plate and what does it form?
It folds over itself to form a tube-shaped structure called the neural tube.
At what week does the neural tube begin to divide?
The 4th week.
What structures does the neural tube divide into?
- Spinal cord.
- Forebrain.
- Midbrain.
- Hindbrain.
What happens during the sixth week to the forebrain?
It divides into two areas.
What two areas does the forebrain divide into?
The cortex and the thalamus.
What is the cortex?
The outer layer of the brain where higher cognitive functions take place, e.g speech.
What is the thalamus?
The part of the brain that passes information from the sense organs to the cortex.
What starts to develop in the spinal cord?
Neurons and synapses.
What is a neuron?
A specialised nerve cell which generates and transmits an electrical impulse.
What is a synapse?
The small gap between the dendrite of one neuron and the receptor site of the next one, which allows signals to pass between them.
What does the development of neurons and synapses enable the foetus to do?
Move around and react to its environment.
What happens by the 15th week in terms of the hindbrain?
The cerebellum has formed from the hindbrain.
What is the cerebellum?
A small, wrinkled structure at the back of the brain which coordinates motor movement, dexterity, and balance, among other things.
What happens by the sixth month of pregnancy?
The brain is fully formed, but it does not reach its full size for a while yet.
What happens during the last three months of pregnancy?
Folds begin to form on the cortex which gives the brain its wrinkled appearance.
What percentage of the brain out of its adult size is it at birth?
It is 25% of its adult size.
What is the brain stem?
It is the part of the brain that controls basic functions such as breathing and heart rate.
How is the brain stem shaped?
Like a widening stalk.
What does the brain stem connect?
The spinal cord to the brain.
What does the brain stem control?
Basic autonomic functions. By week 6, the baby’s heart beats regularly and blood pumps through the main vessels.
Where is the thalamus found?
In the centre of the brain.
What can the thalamus be viewed as?
A sensory processing station.