organization of the mature brain Flashcards
1
Q
organization of the mature brain
A
- Neuron: basic unit of nervous system
o Cell that specializes in receiving and transmitting info - Dendrite, axon, myelin: important for communication btwn neurons
- Myelin → transmits info more quickly, more with development
- 10bil neurons
- Right and left hemispheres of brain
- Frontal lobes controls personality, executive functioning
2
Q
the developing brain
A
- Brain originates in prenatal neural plate → folds and then tube fuses and shuts to become the brain and spinal chord
- Neurons develop in tube
- Have almost all neurons at ~28 weeks → forms at almost 4000/second
- From neuron manufacturing site in neural tube the neurons migrate to final positions in brain
- Neurons carry sensory info → axons and dendrites grow longer and bigger, reaches peak around 1 yr
o Lots of connections around 6 months and then it decreases - Myelinization and synaptic pruning occur beginning in infancy and continuing to adolescence
- Pruning = weeding out of unneeded connections
- Depends on activity of neural circuits
- Experience plays a big role
- Proliferation → rapid growth of brain matter and formation of new connections within the brain
- Adolescent brain: proliferation → pruning → myelination
o Push and pull, new growth and then the ones not used are pruned - Frontal lobe not fully developed yet → more risky behavior
3
Q
brain regions specialize early
A
o Left hemisphere, verbal functioning, frontal cortex for emotion and decision making
4
Q
specialization takes 2 forms
A
o Brian regions active during cognitive processing become more focused and less diffused
o Kinds of stimuli that trigger brain activity shift from being general to specific
5
Q
specialization requires interaction with environment
A
o Experience expecting → need to have experiences to develop but we expect them to happen in life
o Experience dependent → changes that occur due to life exposure
o Ex. musician, more ability because of their experience
