Development of the Brain and Plasticity After Brain Damage

Vocabulary flashcards covering brain development stages, axon pathfinding, neurotrophins, stroke mechanisms, and brain plasticity/recovery principles.

Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)

The fluid inside the neural cavity and ventricles during early central nervous system development.

Proliferation

The process of production of new cells, where cells lining the ventricles of the brain divide during early development.

Stem Cells

Cells lining the ventricles of the brain that remain in place during early development to continuously divide and redivide.

Migration

The movement of primitive neurons and glia toward their eventual locations in the brain along specific chemical paths.

Differentiation

The developmental stage in which neurons form axons and dendrites to assume their distinctive shapes and chemical components.

Myelination

The process in which cells produce insulating fatty sheaths around axons to increase transmission speed.

Synaptogenesis

The formation of synapses between neurons, a process that continues throughout life.

Cholesterol

A chemical essential for the process of synaptogenesis.

Neutrophins

Chemicals that promote the survival and activity of neurons, increase axonal branching, and facilitate axon regrowth after brain damage.

Apoptosis

A programmed mechanism of cell death that occurs when neurons do not receive sufficient neurotrophins.

Nerve Growth Factor (NGF)

A neurotrophic protein delivered by muscles during synapse formation to prevent cell death.

Neural Darwinism

A principle suggesting that synapses form haphazardly during development and are then kept or rejected through a selection process.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

A condition in children resulting from heavy maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy, characterized by hyperactivity, mental retardation, motor problems, heart defects, and facial abnormalities.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

A brain imaging device that applies a magnetic field and radio frequency pulse to measure electromagnetic energy released by atomic nuclei, revealing structural defects.

Magnetoencephalography (MEG)

A neuroimaging method used to identify the location and precise timing of brain region responses during complex tasks.

Stroke (Cerebrovascular Accident)

Brain tissue death (cerebral infarction) caused when an artery to the brain becomes blocked or ruptures.

Ischemia

A type of stroke caused by a blood clot or obstruction closing an artery, depriving neurons of blood, oxygen, and glucose.

Hemorrhage

A type of stroke caused by a ruptured artery that floods surrounding neurons with blood, excess oxygen, and calcium.

Penumbra

The area of brain tissue surrounding the immediate region of stroke damage.

Edema

An abnormal infiltration and excess accumulation of serous fluid in connective tissue or body cavities.

Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA)

A clot-dissolving drug recommended specifically for the treatment of ischemic stroke.

MK-801

A drug that blocks glutamate receptors to minimize brain damage when administered shortly after a stroke.

Kennard Principle

The principle that recovery from brain damage is more extensive after youthful injury than after similar damage later in life.

Diaschisis

The decreased activity of surviving neurons after other connected neurons are damaged.

Collateral Sprouts

New branches formed by uninjured axons to occupy vacant synapses left by damaged adjacent axons.

Denervation Supersensitivity

Heightened sensitivity of a postsynaptic cell to neurotransmitters following the destruction of an incoming axon.

Nimodipine

A drug that blocks calcium entry into neurons, preventing a toxic calcium rush after brain injury.

Gangliosides

Molecules that promote brain restoration after damage and guide axons to correct synapse locations during development.

Brain Grafts

A surgical intervention involving the replacement of dead brain cells with healthy donor cells or stem cells.