Behavioral Neuroscience - Exam 2

what is a zygote?

A single fertilized cell

What are the three stages of prenatal development?

• germinal stage

• embryonic period

• fetal period

Germinal stage

conception through first two weeks of pregnancy.

embryonic period

2-8 weeks, the fetus begins to mature.

fetal period

8 weeks - birth

the fetus, eventually the baby, continues maturing.

blastocyst

clump of multiplying cells.

trophoblast

considered as the “life support”, consists of the placenta and the umbilical cord.

implantation

the egg goes into the uterus.

endoderm

digestive, respiratory systems

mesoderm

cirulatory, reproductive systems + bones

eetoderm

nervous system + skin

placenta

an organ that develops in the uterus. filters out the bad to protect the fetus

umbilical cord

a temporary organ that attaches the mom and the baby

amnion

the fluid that cushions the baby

when does the neural tube development start?

around the 3rd week of pregnancy

what does the neural tube eventually become?

the brain and the spinal cord

what is organogenesis?

the creation of organs

fetal development

2 months - birth

continued growth of the fetus and organ maturation of the organs that emerged from the previous period

when is a baby viable (able to breathe on its own)?

24 weeks

phases of neurodevelopment

• induction of the neuroplate

• neuralproliferation - making more neurons

• migration and aggregation - making a structure with connections

• axon growth and synapse formation

• neuron death + synapse arrangement

the neuron plate…

folds and diffuses

ventricular zone

neural stem cells, where neurons are made

totipotent vs. multipotent

totipotent cells can become any cell in an organism

multipotent cells are limited in what type of cell they can become

stem cells

are also in the nervous system

now come from the placenta and the umbilical cord

radial migration

newly formed neurons are perpendicular to the neural ventricular surface.

tangential migration

newly formed neurons are parallel to the pial surface (of the developing brain)

somal translocation

similar to radial migration excluding the grial cells 

glia-mediated migration

the neuron gets on an extended glial cell to the ventricular surface

aggregation

becoming a neural structure

growth cone

the tip of the growing axon

chemoaffinity hypothesis

the growth cone will be attached to certain chemicals

guidance molecules…

guide the growth cone to the target

pioneer growth cone

the cone that has found the path first.

synapse formation (synaptogenesis)

the process of forming synapses; it is important for the synapses to make connections for communication

at birth, the brain is about ____ the size of an adult brain

25%

brain weight ______ over the course of the first ____ years of life.

1. triples

2. two

when does pruning occur?

it occurs throughout development

why is it important for the prefrontal cortex to develop?

• to have a working memory

• to plan and carry out sequences of actions

• to inhibit responses that are inappropriate in the current context.

deprivation vs. enrichment

depriving resources, experiences, and stimuli can negatively affect brain structure, cognition and behavior.

allowing individuals to do so can assure proper growth of the brain structure, more appropriate behavior, and proper cognition.

competitive nature of the brain

if one part of the brain is not fully developed, another part of the brain takes over (plasticity), meaning that processing is less efficient.

topographic sensory cortex map

a map of the brain that shows the arrangement of sensory receptors preserved in the cortical area.

a representation of sensory information

neuroplasticity in adults

we do not make new neurons, so we have to form synaptic connections

what are the effects experiences have on connections?

experiences make those connections stronger.

your reality is your ___________. (ex. colorblind people, synethisia)

perception

sensation v. perception

input sensory physical stimuli (s)

psychological interpretation (p)

irises

the colored part of your eye that is located behind the cornea.

sensitivity

the ability to detect movement and edges

acuity

color and fine details

lens

the elastic structure located behind the iris by which light is focused on to the retina.

accommodation

the ability to change your focus from farther to nearer objects by changing the lens

binocular disparity

the image being shown will be different in your left eye

left hemisphere - right eye, right hemisphere - left eye

optic chiasm

where all the information gets flipped

what are the receptors for the visual system?

cones and rods

cones

light-sensitive cells located in the retina. hot colors, best in bright light

rods

photoreceptor cells located in the retina. cool colors, best in low light

what is the issue with rods?

the light would have to go through four layers in and back.

what is the difference between photopic and stotopic visions?

photopic focuses on visual while stotopic focuses on movement

spectral sensitivity core 

how biological and/or digital sensors respond to different wavelengths of light.

phototopic spectral sensitivity core

the (human) eye’s responses to bright light

stotopic spectral sensitivity core

peak sensitivity of the rods in the eye, which is 507mn blue-green

purkinje effect

the movement from rods to cones, and how that leads to us being sensitive to some colors.

saccades

changes from fixation to fixation, frequent action leads to change blindness

fixation 

the ability to focus your eye on a specific subject

change blindnesss

when you cannot notice the difference in your visual environment

inattentional blindness

you don’t perceive (or pay attention) to what was infront of you.

sensory cortex

a region of the brain that processes sensory information (touch, pain, temperature, pressure)

primary sensory cortex

first level of processing sensory information for vision, hearing, touch

secondary sensory cortex

second level of processing sensory information, integrates sensory information

association cortex

brain regions that integrate sensory information, plan motor actions, and supports complex cognitive functions