Lecture 3 Flashcards
What is a genome ?
the complete set of an organism’s genes
What is gene synthesis ?
a method of producing DNA
What is a genotype ?
inherited genetic material
What is a phenotype ?
observable expression of the genotype including both body characteristice and behaviour
What is the environment ?
incorporates every aspect of individuals and their surroundings
What are chromosomes
long threadlike molecules made up of 2 strands of DNA
What is DNA (deoxyrobonucleic acid) ?
carries all the biochemical instructions involved in the formation and functioning of an organism
What are genes ?
basic unit of hereditary in all living things
What is crossing over ?
when gametes divide, the 2 members in the pair of chromosomes sometimes swap sections of DNA
What is mutation ?
A change in a section of DNA
What are sex chromosomes ?
determine an individual’s designated sex at birth
What are endophenotypes ?
mediate the pathways between genes and behaviour
What are regulator genes ?
control the activity of other genes
What are alleles ?
2 or more different forms of a gene
What is a dominant allele ?
if allele that, if present, gets expressed
What is a recessive allele ?
the allele that is not expressed if a dominant allele is present
What is homozygous ?
having 2 of the same allele for a trait
What is heterozygous ?
having 2 different alleles for a trait
What is the polygenic inheritance pattern ?
many different genes contribute to any phenotype outcome
What is phenylketonuria
a disorder related to a defective recessor gene on chromosome 12
What is carrier genetic testing ?
used to detemine whether prospective parents are carriers of specific disorders
What is prenatal testing ?
genetic testing during pregancy to asses risk for a range of genetic disorders
What is newborn screening ?
used to screen newborn infants for a range of genetic and non-genetic disorders
What is genetic nurture ?
non-transmitted parental alleles play an important role in the creation of the child’s environment
What is the active child theme ?
children as a source of thier own development
What is epigenetics ?
the study of stable changes in gene expression that are mediated by the environment
What is methylation ?
silences gene expression
What is behavioural genetics ?
the sicence of being concerned with how variation in behaviour and development resulst from the combination of genetic and environmental factors
What is heritable ?
refers to chracteristics or traits that are genetically transmitted
What are family studies ?
attempts to determine whether phenotypic traits are correlated with the degree to which people are genetically related
What are twin studies ?
specialzed form of the family study used to compare the correaltuions for indentical (MZ) twins with those for same-sex fraternal (DZ) twins
What is the equal environment assumption ?
claims that both types of twins shared the same prenatal environment, were born at the same time, grew up in the same family and community and are always the same age when tested
What is chorioncity ?
notable differences in the degree of placental sharing
What are adoption studies ?
researchers examine whether adopted children’s score on a given measure are corelated more highly with those of thier biological parents and siblings or those of their adoptive parents and siblings
What are adoptive twin studies ?
individual twins who grew up together are compared to identical twins who were seperated shortly after birth and raised apart
What is heritability ?
a statistical estimate of how much of the measured variance on a phenotypic trait among indivduals in a given population is attributable to genetic differences among those individuals
What is polygenic ?
are affected by a combination of many genes
What are idiosynocratic life events ?
suffering a serious accident, having an inspiring teacher, being bullied on the playground, etc
What is neuron ?
cells that specialize for sending and receiving mesages between the brain and all parts of the body, as well as within the brain itself
What is the cell body ?
contains the basic biological material that keeps the neuron functioning
What are dendrites ?
fibers that receive input from other cells and conduct it toward the cell body
What is the axon ?
a fibre that conducts electrical signals away from the cell body connections with other neurons
What is the synapse ?
the place where information is transmitted from one neuron to another
What are glial cells ?
cells in the brain that provide a variety of critical supportive functions
What is the cerebral cortex ?
the “grey matter” of the brain, consisting of 4 distinct lobes
What is the frontal lobe ?
brains “executive”, is involved in cognitive control, including working memory, planning, decision making, and inhibitory control
What is the parietal lobe ?
engages in spatial processing and is also involved in the integration of information from differnt sensory modalities
What is the temporal lobe ?
associated with speech and language, and the processing of emotion and auditory information
What is the occipital lobe ?
processes visual information
What is the corpus callosum ?
a dense tract of connective nerve fibres b/w the 2 hemispheres
What is cerebral laterization ?
the specialization of the hemispheres of the brain for different modes of processing
What is neurogenesis ?
the proliferation of neurons through cell division
What is the hippocampus ?
a brain area that is heavily involed in memory process
What is arborization ?
formation of new dendritic and branches
What is myelanation ?
the formation of the insulating myelin sheath around some axons
What are spines ?
formation on the dendrties of neurons that increase the dendrites capacity to form connection with other neurons
What is synaptogenesis ?
the process by which neurons form synapses with other neurons, resulting in trillions of connections
What is synaptic pruning ?
the nomral developmental process through which synapses that are rarely used activated are eliminated
What is dorsolateral prefrontal cortex ?
vital for regulating attention, controlling impulses, forseeing consequences, setting priorities, and other executive functions
What is plasticity ?
the capacity of the brain to be affected by experience
What is experience-expectant plasticity ?
the role of species-typical experience in shaping brain development
What is heightened vulnerability ?
If for some reason the experience that the developing brain “expects” doesn’t occur, due to inadequate stimulation or impaired sensory receptors, development may be compromised
What is cross modal reorganization ?
absent the experiences that are species typical (visual or auditory input), the brain reorganizes
What is experience-dependant plasticity ?
the process through which neural connection are reorganized throughout life as a function of an individuals experience
