Flashcards
Brain and Behavior Final : Developing and aging
Cards in this deck (23)
- 1Sensitive PeriodWindow of time when learning most effective
- If we pass the sensitive period, then we may not be able to learn, neurons have died. - 2ImprintingForming of attachment to first individual organism sees
- 3Visioncats - 3 weeks to 60 days
monkeys - First six months
humans - withing few months - 4LanguageHuman Language end by age 12 or earlier
- when someone lacks exposure of language they have inability to acquire complex grammar and vocabulary - 5Adolescencehallmark of adolescence
- women better at language & verbal learning/ memory
- men better at spatial learning/ memory
- sex hormones: estrogens (females), androgens/ testosterone ( males) - 6Aging & memory : adulthood to old age; general conceptrelatively stable learning and memory, cognitive functions through adulthood
*declines as enter into 60s - 7Episodic Memory- memory for specific autobiographical events ( ex. graduation)
- includes spatial & temporal context (where & when) - 8semantic memory- memories for facts & general knowledge about the world (ex. first president of the US)
- as well as personal info (favorite food, own name)
- are not tagged in time & space - 9working memoryShort-term storage system where info is held for active processing
- 10Brain SubstratesNeurogenesis
Adult Neurogenesis
Synaptogenesis
Pruning - 11Neurogenesisneuronal birth
- during gestation, up to 250,000 neurons added/minute
- 25th week of gestation, majority of fetus' neurons in place
* not uniform throughout the brain - 12Adult Neurogenesisnew neurons for old brains
- before, thought born with all neurons needed --> now , neurogenesis occurs throughout life
- however, not same pace in adult as with developing brain
Physical exercise, enriched environment promote neurogenesis - 13Synaptogenesiscreation of new synapses
- begins approx. 5 months after conception
- after birth, up to 40K synapses/ second in macaque monkey
- different rates in different brain areas: visual cortex, 3-4 months
- continuous throughout life, but not same rate as during infancy - 14Pruningsynapse continuously used are strengthened; if not used, weakened & die
- during childhood/ adolescence, up to 42% pruned - 15Brain shrinks in old ageBegins in adolescence
- by age 80 we lose 5% of weight size
- usually begins in adolescence where localized neurons and synapses are being lost.. by the age of 80 a persons brain would have lost 5% of their brains weight
- natural aging makes neurons die, working memory to declines, lessens the ability to neural communication & since less space is required it results in brain shrinkage - 16Brain changes in adolescence/ adulthood- the brain changes during adolescence since there is the maturation of the prefrontal cortex (allowing for working memory, planning, judgment)
- since the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed until late adolescence it is until then that mylenation occurs where substances wrap around the axons making signals and neural transmission to occur much quicker - 17Dementiaany illness that produces serious, progressive, often irreversible cognitive decline; strikes people in later life
- two main causes : Alzheimer vascular dementia - 18Vascular Dementia- impairment in the vascular (blood) system
- Dementia caused by multiple strokes
- accelerates neural loss - 19Alzheimer's Diseas & it's first symptoms- Memory: loss of episodic memory ( 1st symptom)
- as progress, marked decline in semantic memory
- conditioning/ skills memory retain
- Late stages: personality changes, disorientation, loss of judgement, loss of speech
- First Symptom: loss of episodic memory
- Presence of two kinds of pathology - 20Amyloid Plaques- are deposits of beta: amyloid, which is an abnormal byproduct of a common protein called amyloid precursor protein
- these plaques accumulate in the brain of a patient w/ Alzheimer's disease
- evenly distributed throughout cerebral cortex, hippocampus spared
- some researchers believe they are toxic to nearby neurons - 21Neurofibliary Tangles- collapsed protein that normally holds neuron in place
- accumulate in the hippocampus first
- some researchers believe they hold the real key to understanding Alzheimer's disease - 22Mental exercise & Alzheimer's diseaseWhen does the activity lose its effectiveness?
- at some point, if she gets good at the activity, the brain habituates, goes on autopilot and is no longer stimulated/ challenged. At that point, the activity no longer provides the necessary brain exercise and will carry no benefit - 23Research ( mental exercise & Alzheimer's disease)* high level of cognitive activity= less likely to experience cognitive decline
* high educational level, wide social support
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- Flashcards on Brain and Behavior Final : Developing and aging, created by Selena Munguia on 30/04/2018.
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- Selena Munguia
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