3. Neurodevelopment 2

Question 1

What is the concept of bipotential? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 1

During prenatal development, male and female anatomy is the same

Question 2

What does the males SRY gene cause? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 2

• Primitive glands develop
• Testosterone produced
• Development of wolffian ducts to develop into seminal vesicles and vas deferens
• Mullerian inhibiting hormore released (degeneration of the mullerian ducts/potential ovaries)

Question 3

What do gonadal hormones do for males and females? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 3

• Males = increase androgen, decrease estrogen

- Females = decrease androgen, increase estrogen

Question 4

What is the role of androgen in sex assignment? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 4

• Determines the masculinisation of the fetus

- Associated with sexual desire

Question 5

What are the two effects of sex hormones and when do they occur? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 5

• Organising effects (shortly after birth & just before puberty)
• Activating effects (any point across life)

Question 6

What behaviour did female rats show when injected with testosterone after birth? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 6

Male typical behaviors e.g. mounting from behind

Question 7

What neurons develop later in life? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 7

• Olfactory bulb

- Hippocampus

Question 8

What does a closed head injury refer to? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 8

Sharp blow to the head that does not puncture the brain

Question 9

What does a stroke/cerebrovascular accident refer to? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 9

Temporary loss of blood flow to the brain due to a blockage or hemorrhage (aneurysm)

Question 10

What does recovery from brain injury involve? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 10

Collateral sprouting

Question 11

What is collateral sprouting? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 11

Cells secreting neurotrophins to all new branches of existing neurons in the brain

Question 12

What does plasticity in the brain refer to? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 12

The brain constantly changing based on experience

Question 13

Why does plasticity n the brain occur? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 13

Because the brain continuously forms new synapses and prune others

Question 14

What is the ‘use it of lose it’ principle? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 14

Synapses that are activated are maintained and strengthened, those that aren’t are eliminated

Question 15

What did Rosenzweig & Bennet (1980) find? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 15

• Rats raised in enhanced environments, instead of a laboratory, developed a thicker cortex and had increased dendrite branching
• Increased dendrite branching was correlated with the ability to learn

Question 16

What were Burton et al (2002) procedures and findings? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 16

• Asked good sighted and blind P’s to read braille letters and state if the items were the same or different
• Blind P’s performed significantly better

Question 17

What is the difference in fMRI scans when reading braille between good sighted and blind participants? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 17

Blind patients had substantially more activity in the occipital cortex

Question 18

Who studied imprinting and what is it evidence for? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 18

• Lorenz (1930)

- Critical period

Question 19

What is an antisaccade task and what does it show? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 19

• Assesses the brains ability to inhibit visual reflexes

- Improves over time

Question 20

What are the two age related memory impairment disorders? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 20

• Alzheimer disease

- Age associated memory impairment

Question 21

What are the characteristics of Alzheimers? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 21

• Severe and rapid dementia

- Genetic component

Question 22

What are the characteristics of age-associated memory impairment? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 22

• Low levels of severity in cognitive decline

- Widely seen in the general population

Question 23

What do age related memory impairment patients have no deficits in? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 23

• Implicit memory tasks
• Short term memory tasks
• Recognition memory tasks

Question 24

What do age related memory impairment patients have deficits in? (Neurodevelopment 2 B&B)

Answer 24

• Free/cued recall
• Retrospective data
• Prospective memory tasks
• Working memory tasks