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Psych 350: Exam 1
Brain
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Cell migration | Movement of neurons from one location to another in the brain |
| Cell differentiation | -occurs mainly after birth -the process by which cells become specialized in order to perform different functions |
| Myelination | -occurs before birth and into adolescence -myelin accumulation around nerve cells |
| Synaptogenesis | Formation of synapses |
| Synapse pruning | Eliminates surplus connections |
| Plasticity | Brain's ability to change by experience |
| Experience-expectant plasticity | Brain wiring occurs due to normal experiences |
| Vulnerability of experience-expectant plasticity | -if 'expected' experience doesn't occur, pruning occurs and deficits may result -ex. blindness, deafness |
| Experience-dependent | Neural connections are created and reorganized throughout life as a function of individual experience; expert skills (ex: cellists and violinists) |
| Advantages of plasticity | -less information needed to be stored in genes -allows for adaptation to unforeseen environment |
| Best time for brain damage | -early childhood because synaptogenesis and pruning are occurring -plasticity is highest and brain can rewire |
| Worst time for brain damage | Early stage of prenatal development to 1 year because it interrupts neurogenesis and neuron migration |
| Minamata, Japan | Birth defects caused by mercury poisoning |