Intro to neuro 2 pt 2

what is brain tissue made of

meninges layers of the cns

D A P

dura mater (hard mother)

archanoid mater (spider mother)

pia mater (delicate mother)

sulci, gyri, and fissures

hill = grass (gyri) valley = sink (sulci)

basic mammalian plan

olfactory bulb, cortex, longitudinal fissure, cerebellum, brainstem

directional terms

medial and lateral

3 brain orientations

divisions of adult human nervous system

forebrain (telencephalon)

basal ganglia – controlled movement and learning

cerebral cortex – create and respond to perceptions in the world

hippocampus – memory and learning, spatial navigation

amygdala – emotion, surprise, relevance

diencephalon

dorsal = thalamus

ventral = hypothalamus

brain dividers

brodmann’s areas

Similar cell architecture =

homogeneous area of cortex

representing a functional area

primary cortical projections

PRO , I AM

connections between cortical areas

Neuroplasticity

Changing of neuron connections and organization of networks and function through experience and learning

the hebbian synapse

When an axon of cell A is near enough to excite cell B and repeatedly or

persistently takes part in firing it, some growth process or metabolic change

takes place in one or both cells such that A's efficiency, as one of the cells

firing B, is increased.”

Principles of Neuroplasticity

1. Brain is not hardwired

   • We learn many new things that alter connections between various parts of the brain

2. Plasticity is ability of brain and CNS to

   • Adapt to environmental change

   • Respond to injury

   • Acquire new information by modifying connectivity and function

3. Multiple leves

   • Cellular changes in response to learning

   • Cortical remapping in response to injuries

why do we need to be plastic?

to grow a brain that adaptive to the known and variable/changing environement

neural networks are sculpted by early experience

factors impacting plastic

enriched environments and exercise grows new neurons

conclusion: enriched early environments influence brain development, memory, and ability to learn

environments of deprivation (poor nutrition, lack of social contact, absence of mental engagement) and stress produces less dendritic growth and learning

why do we need to stop being plastic?

to stabilize what the brain has learned in development and strengthen existing connections through practice

*creates an organism that can respond efficiently to known environment

typical brain maturation

harnessing plasticity

two types of plasticity

structural plasticity: experiences or memories change a brain’s physical structure

functional plasticity: brain functions move from damaged to undamaged area

plasticity in injured brain

overall message of lesson

• there are many ways to divide the brain upon level of examination

• primary projection areas go to each lobe, specialized by function

• sulci and gyri allow for additional surface area

• plasticity = ability of the brain to respond to the environment by modifying neural connectivity and dunction

• during dev’t brain highly plastic: once mature, brain stabilizes the knowledge