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Neurodevelopment > The Basic Processes of Neurodevelopment > Flashcards

The Basic Processes of Neurodevelopment Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 6 processes?

A 
Cell birth
Cell migration
Cell differentiation and maturation
Synpatogenesis
Cell death and synaptic pruning
Myelination
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2
Q

What does cell birth refer too?

A

The production of new neurons

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3
Q

How many neurons are found in one hemisphere?

A

10 billion cells

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4
Q

What is the peak of neural development?

A

250,000 neurons are born per minute

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5
Q

Where does cell birth take place?

A

The neural tube - in the cerebral spinal fluid

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6
Q

What are stem cells?

A

Immature cells

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7
Q

What do stem cells form?

A

They divide, some stay and continue to be a stem cell and some become Progenitor (precursor cells)

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8
Q

What can the progenitor cell be?

A

Either a neuroblast (will become a neuron) or a glioblast (will become glia)

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9
Q

What happens once the progenitor cells are formed?

A

They are formed in the centre of the neural tube but won’t stay there - start to migrate out of this location of birth (migration)

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10
Q

What does migration refer too?

A

The movement of newly formed neurons and glia to their final destinations

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11
Q

Why does migration occur?

A

Because they need to populate different parts of the brain

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12
Q

When do the neurons reach their destination?

A

Some don’t reach it till adulthood

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13
Q

How does migration occur?

A

Chemical signals - signals which attract them to migrate to a particular location

Physical support - from radial glia

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14
Q

What are radial glia?

A

Special cells which are temporarily there for physical support - cells climb along the radial glia with the help of extensions

Axons extend to the outer part of the tube - immaturing neurons use them to find a way and to migrate towards layers

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15
Q

What is the function of radial glia?

A

Scaffolding - help them migrate in a particular way

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16
Q

Where do the cells migrate too?

A

First neurons which migrate stay closer to the inner surface

the rest stand on their shoulders, climbing higher and higher, filling all the layers of the cortex

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17
Q

Why is it important migration takes place undisturbed?

A

Because the cortex has different layers of cells with different functions - need the neurons to migrate to the correct place

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18
Q

What happens when neurons meet their point of destination?

A

They start to differentiate

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19
Q

What does differentiation mean?

A

Expressing particular genes that will allow them to become a cell
Start to form an axon and dendrites that give them a distinctive shape

20
Q

How do they differentiate?

A

Dendritic arborisation - branching

Growth of dendritic spines

21
Q

Why are dendritic spines there?

A

To increase the surface area of the dendrites, the more spines we have, the more area we have on the dendrites

other neurons can make other contact - synapsing on other neurons - more available places for them to make contact

22
Q

What is the difference in Brocas area in a newborn compared with older children?

A

More dendritic branches in the cells in brocas area in the older child - more differentiation

23
Q

What causes the neuron to differentiate in a particular way?

A

The destination - final region

24
Q

What do immature cells acquire when differentiating?

A

The characteristics of the cells in the region of implantation, If implanted early - if neurons reach maturity, we cannot do that, they will always have characteristics they came from

25
Q

Why is the area of destination important?

A

They will acquire the characteristics of the area that brain has

26
Q

What does morphology of neurons refer too?

A

Many different neurons found in different locations depending on where you look

Can have lots of different neurons in the brain

27
Q

What does synaptogenesis refer too?

A

The formation of synapses / connections between neurons

28
Q

When does synaptogenesis occur?

A

Begins after the neuron has differentiated
occurs throughout life as a response to our experiences, slows down later on
neurons are constantly forming new connections and disregarding old ones

29
Q

What does synaptic pruning mean?

A

Neurons are constantly forming new connections and disregarding old ones - have more than we need

30
Q

What is the growing end of an axon called?

A

A growth cone - searching for contact

31
Q

How are contacts made between neurons?

A

Neurons have a growth cone, these develop extensions known as filopodia - make contact with another cell

32
Q

What are growth cones attracted too?

A

Chemicals released from target cells:
cell adhesion molecules
tropic molecules - attract or repel growth cones

33
Q

What are filopodia?

A

The extensions on the growth cone

34
Q

What happens when axons reach their targets?

A

They form synapses with several cells - but have more connections than they will even need

35
Q

What does neural darwinism mean?

A

Some connections will be strengthened and some will be eliminated - lots of competition in regards to synapses

Most successful connections will survive

36
Q

What instructs neuron to survive?

A

Proteins secreted by target cells promote the survival and growth - survival signals

37
Q

What factors aid survival of neurons?

A

Neurotophic factors

38
Q

What happens if a neuron doesn’t receive a survival signal?

A

It will degenerate and die through apoptosis

39
Q

What is apoptosis?

A

Programmed cell death, silent, good death, happens as we have more than we need

40
Q

Function of apoptosis

A

Enables the exact matching of the number of incoming axons to the number of receiving cells

if things going well, apoptosis is inhibited

41
Q

What is necrosis?

A

Loud, powerful, damaging death which occurs after injury

42
Q

How can immature neurons avoid apoptosis?

A

Neurotrophin (growth factors) from its target cell

Active communication with other neurons which leads to strengthening of their synapses

43
Q

What does synaptic pruning mean?

A

Dendritic branches are not fixed, they extend, retract or even disappear

spines can appear or disappear over a short period of time

these are related to learning or experience

44
Q

What does myelination mean?

A

The process by which glia produce the fatty sheath which covers the axons of neurons

occurs in the spinal cord then in the hindbrain, midbrain and forebrain - front to back

45
Q

Function of myelination

A

Speed up transition of neural impulses

Aids motor behaviour - correlation between myelination and ability to grasp

46
Q

How long does myelination take?

A

It is a slow process - occurs gradually for decades - depending on the region - Cortex till 18 but prefrontal cortex takes longe

47
Q

Difference between myelination in the PNS and the CNS

A

PNS - Schwann cells - dedicate themselves exclusively to the axon, 2 Schwann cell on one part of the axon

CNS - oligodendroglia (have a few branches) - not all of the branches are on one axon, each branch wraps around a different segment of a different axon. Lots of axon segments covered by one oligodendroglia

Neurodevelopment (9 decks)

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