Development and Plasticity Flashcards

1
Q

Formation of which nervous system occurs during prenatal development?

A

Central nervous system

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2
Q

What are the 3 steps of the development of the brain and what do they mean?

A
  1. Cell division: generating neurons and multiplying
  2. Cell migration: cell migrates to where it belongs in the body and continues to multiply
  3. Cell differentiation: new cells take on the characteristics of either a neuron or glial cell
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3
Q

What does plasticity mean?

A

It refers to the ability of the nervous system to change

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4
Q

At birth, what do the inputs from the LGN look like?

A

They are intermingled in the striate cortex (V1), but eventually segregate in ocular dominance columns

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5
Q

What is the fine-tuning of the wiring of the brain driven by?

A

Sensory experience

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6
Q

What happens when you activate the visual cortex via TMS in people with severe visual impairment?

A

It only causes phosphenes for those that weren’t congenitally blind

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7
Q

Is production of mental images associated with activation of visual cortex in both congenitally blind and sighted participants?

A

Yep, even if the task only involves verbal instructions

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8
Q

What does functional plasticity mean?

A

Enlargement of cortical regions in which certain abilities are trained (more neurons respond after training, leading to improved performance)

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9
Q

True or false: training can induce relatively rapid changes in brain activity

A

True! This reflects the plastic ability of the nervous system to acquire and retain new info and skills

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10
Q

At approximately what age does the brain begin to atrophy?

A

Roughly 65+ years old

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11
Q

What is one of the consequences of the atrophy of the brain as we age?

A

A decline in memory function due to reduced hippocampus size

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12
Q

What activity can not only stop atrophy of the hippocampus, but actually increase its size?

A

Aerobic exercise

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13
Q

What is aerobic exercise?

A

Exercise where you’re breathing heavily and sweat

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