Brain development

What is a blastocyst?

  • A developing embryo


What is the rhombencephalon?

  • The pons, cerebellum and medulla


What is the myelencephalon?

  • The medulla


What does the endoderm layer become?

  • The digestive tracts


Which layer generates our reproductive organs?

  • The mesoderm


What forms into our brain and spinal cord?

  • The ectoderm forming the neural tube


At what point does cell(s) become a blastocyst?

  • At 32+ cells


What is the name for the cells which go on to become an embryo?

  • Inner cell mass


What is the cause of anencephaly?

  • Failure to close the upper neural tube


What is a neuroblast?

  • A cell which can become any cell within the nervous system


How do neurons migrate?

  • Via radial glia


What is a growth cone?

  • Allows axon growth


What is the chemoaffinity hypothesis?

  • Chemical marks on axons match their target


Match the germ layers with the organs developing from them

  1. Ectoderm- Eyes

  2. Mesoderm- Blood cells

  3. Endoderm- Lungs


Order the following concepts in their chronological order during development

  1. Blastocyst

  2. Gastrula

  3. Neural Plate

  4. Neural Tube

  5. Primary Vesicles

  6. Cranial Nerves


In Foetal Alcohol Syndrome grey matter in frontal cortices is replaced by white matter during adolescence.

True or False


Which of the following is true for Autism Spectrum Condition?

  • Increased local integration

  • Increased brain volume

  • Less social orientating


Children with Autism Spectrum Condition might display superior perceptual skills, because of 

  • Increased local integration


ADHD may be characterised by a delay in cortical maturation especially in frontal cortices. This may be caused by dopamine dysregulation during brain development.