Week 5 - Reconsidering ‘abnormality’ and mental health in brain development

Question 1

What is lissencephaly?

Answer 1

A congentical condition where the cortex fails to develop normally

Question 2

Abnormal cortical development can affect which types of functions?

Answer 2

Physical and mental functioning

Question 3

What does the term lissencephaly literally mean?

Answer 3

“Smooth brain”

Question 4

What is microencephaly?

Answer 4

A condition associated with a smaller than average brain size at birth

Question 5

What are the two types of lissencephaly?

Answer 5

• Classic
• ‘Cobblestone’

Question 6

What is type I lissencephaly also known as?

Answer 6

Miller-Dieker syndrome

Question 7

What does the term spectrum refer to in the context of health conditions?

Answer 7

The occurrence of a set of symptoms that range in severity, as in ASD

Question 8

Type I lissencephaly, or Miller-Dieker syndrome, has a prevalence of roughly what globally?

Answer 8

1.2 births per 100,000

Question 9

What is the LIS1 gene?

Answer 9

A gene located on chromosome 17 that is associated with the classic form of lissencephaly

Question 10

What happens to the LSI1 gene in Miller-Dieker syndrome?

Answer 10

It is deleted

Question 11

What does the deletion of the LSI1 gene cause?

Answer 11

Reduced production of the protein called PAFAH1B - platelet activating factor acetylhydrolase isoform 1B

Question 12

What other protein does PAFAH_1B_1 interact with?

Answer 12

Dynactin

Question 13

What does dynactin play a role in?

Answer 13

• Cell differentiation
• The movement of cells during the migration process

Question 14

What effect does type 1 lissencephaly have on cortical layers?

Answer 14

• There are typically three or four, instead of five or six
• The cortex is thicker than normal; 10-20mm rather than 4mm
• Reduced cortical folding

Question 15

Why is it preferable to refer to congenital conditions as being ‘anomalies’, rather than ‘abnormalities’?

Answer 15

There is an increasing preference to consider conditions as unusual or different, rather than as abnormal

Question 16

What are some physical indicators of Miller-Dieker syndrome?

Answer 16

• Locomotor difficulties
• Difficulty swallowing
• Epileptic seizures
• Severely impaired mental capacity

Question 17

What are the stages of DNA replication?

Answer 17

• Transcription
• Translation

Question 18

What happens during the transcription stage of DNA replication?

Answer 18

• The sequence of bases in the DNA molecule is transcribed into mRNA
• The mRNA molecules leave the cell nucleus and enter the cytosol of the cell

Question 19

What happens during the translation stage of DNA replication?

Answer 19

The mRNA binds to ribosomes and links amino acids together into proteins

Question 20

What do neurons need a variety of in order to produce glial cells?

Answer 20

Proteins

Question 21

What is an interneuron?

Answer 21

A type of neuron that sends projections within a brain area, rather than to other brain areas

Question 22

What is gene silencing?

Answer 22

The process in which the expression of a gene is suppressed

Question 23

What does the term epigenetic mechanisms refer to?

Answer 23

The regulation of gene silencing and activation

Question 24

What is microRNA?

Answer 24

A type of RNA able to bind to mRNA and cause cleavage, degradation or blocking of the translation process

Question 25

What is non-coding RNA?

Answer 25

RNA that is not involved in carrying the genetic code after the transcription process

Question 26

Why is asymmetric division important during development?

Answer 26

Because this is the process that is responsible for cell diversification

Question 27

What does the term glycolisis mean?

Answer 27

Literally, “glucose splitting” - a process that occurs during digestion

Question 28

Which chemical important in epigenetic regulation can hyperglycaemia eventually increase the level of?

Answer 28

Acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA)

Question 29

What does the chemical acetyl-CoA (acetyle coenzyme A) play an important role in?

Answer 29

Epigenetic regulation

Question 30

What happens in the first stage of the TCA cycle?

Answer 30

Glucose molecules are broken down to two pyruvate molecules with the release of ATP

Question 31

What happens in the second stage of the TCA cycle?

Answer 31

Each pyruvate is transformed into acetyl-CoA with the release of CO_2

Question 32

What substance, if added to chromatin, can affect access to DNA during transcription?

Answer 32

Acetyl groups

Question 33

What is ‘western blotting’?

Answer 33

A technique to measure protein levels

Question 34

What is a kilodalton (kDa)?

Answer 34

A atomic weight, usually used to describe the molecular weight of large molecules such as proteins

Question 35

What is Dcx?

Answer 35

A protein called doublecortin

Question 36

What is doublecortin (Dcx)?

Answer 36

A protein involved in cell migration

Question 37

What type of congenital condition might unregulated gestational diabetes be a risk factor for?

Answer 37

Neural tube defects

Question 38

In the field of psychology, what are the five domains of functioning?

Answer 38

- Social - Emotional - Cognitive - Language - Physical

Question 39

What does the term ‘face validity’ mean?

Answer 39

The extent to which a test appears to measure what it is intended to measure

Question 40

What is meant by the term ‘content validity’?

Answer 40

The extent to which a measure is representative of all aspects of what it is trying to measure

Question 41

What is meant by the term ‘construct validity’?

Answer 41

The extent to which a test measures the psychological construct of interest

Question 42

With regards to assessments, what is meant by the term ‘feasibility’?

Answer 42

The extent to which an assessment can be easily applied in the setting it was intended to be used in

Question 43

In a psychological context, what is meant by the term ‘domain’?

Answer 43

A specific aspect of functioning