Flashcards
How the Brain Changes and Genetics
Cards in this deck (31)
- 1Critical PeriodsTimes during which particular experiences must occur for development to proceed normally
- 2PlasticityA property of the brain that allows it to change as a result of experience or injury
- 3Phantom LimbThe intense sensation that the amputated body part still exists
- 4Radical HemispherectomyThis surgical procedure removes an entire cerebral hemisphere, sometimes performed on young children with severe an uncontrollable epilepsy. The remaining hemisphere eventually takes on most of the lost hemisphere's functions
- 5GeneticsUsed to describe how characteristics such as height, hair colour, and eye colour are passed along to offspring through inheritance, refers to the process involved in turning genes "on" and "off"
- 6Gene ExpressionWhether a particular gene is turned on or off
- 7GenomeIs the master gene blueprint that provides detailed instructions for everything
- 8ChromosomesStructures within the cell body that are made up of DNA, segments of which compromise individual genes
- 9GenesThe units of heredity that help determine the characteristics of an organism
- 10Human Genome ProjectAn international research effort, mapping the entire structure of human genetic material
- 11Selective BreedingStrictly controlling which plants or animals are bred which another plant or animal
- 12Dominant GeneA gene that is expressed in the offspring whenever it is present
- 13Recessive GeneA gene that is expressed only when it is matched with a similar gene from the other parent
- 14GenotypeThe genetic constitution of an organism, determined at the moment of conception
- 15PhenotypeObservable physical characteristics, which result from both genetic and environmental influences
- 16PolygenicWhen a trait is influenced by many genes, as well as the environment
- 17ZygoteA fertilised cell
- 18Cell divisionThis is how a zygote grows, first the chromosomes duplicate, then the cell divides into two new cells with an identical chromosome structure
- 19MutationsWhen errors or alterations occur in the DNA during cell division
- 20Industrial MelanismThe phenomenon that accounts for the fact that in areas of the world with heavy soot or smog, moths and butterflies tend to be darker in colour
- 21Sickle-cell DiseaseA genetic disorder that alters the bloodstream's processing of oxygen, it has some benefit in that it increases resistance to malaria, prevalent in certain parts of Africa
- 22Behavioural GeneticsThe study of how genes and environment interact to influence psychological activity
- 23Twin StudiesCompare similarities between different types of twins to determine the genetic basis of specific traits
- 24Monozygotic TwinsAlso called identical twins, twin siblings that result from one zygote splitting in two and therefore share the same genetics
- 25Dizygotic TwinsAlso called fraternal twins, twin sibling that result from two separately fertilised eggs and therefore are no more similar genetically than nontwin siblings
- 26Adoption StudiesCompare the similarities between biological relatives and adopted relatives
- 27HeredityThe transmission of characteristics from parents to offspring by means of genes
- 28HeritabilityA statistical estimate of the extent to which variation in a trait within a population is due to genetics
- 29VariationThe measure of the overall difference among a group of people for that particular trait
- 30Epigenetics"On top of genetics", here the environment is seen as layered over genetics
- 31OptogeneticsResearch technique that provides precise control over when a neuron fires, combines the use of light with gene alterations
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- Definitions about how the brain changes and genetics
- Created by
- Steph M · May 2016
- Updated
- May 22, 2016
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