Who Am I? Flashcards
(19 cards)
What two theories are combined in order to help explain “Who I am?”
interacting memory systems theory and GDE factors
What does GDE stand for
Genetic makeup, accumulated Experience throughout the lifespan, and Developmental events during pre- and post-natal time periods
Explain what GDE Factors (theory) means
that normal and abnormal causes of behaviours are largely determined and influenced by complex set of interactions between individuals, these factors are what GDE stands for
What are the affects that GDE factors can have
- affects on organization of the brain
- affects the overall balance and relationships between each learning and memory system
- can also affect relationships of memory systems to the rest of the brain
how does changes in balances of learning and memory systems affect individuals
it can lead to changes in personality, affective style, interpreting, thinking, and reaction, and choices and actions.
Can also lead to certain individual strengths and weaknesses.
Can also produce “unusual” talents
Changes in balances can lead to abnormal behaviours/ disorders.
What is the difference between the causes of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and the developmental perturbations that are being tested
FAS = exposure to high levels of alcohol in utero
Perturbations = moderate to low levels of alcohol exposure (equivalent to 1-2 drinks a night) while in utero.
What are the symptoms of FAS (3)
growth deficits
craniofacial abnormalities (10-20th week of gestation) (small narrow eyes far apart on face, smooth philtrum, thin upper lips
significant brain damage and NS leading to wide range of cognitive impairments
What are the brain related damage that results from FAS (8)
smaller brain
lower IQ
seizure activity
developmental delays
coordination
attention problems
visual motor deficits
hyperactivity
Why is moderate exposure to alcohol harder to “diagnose” than FAS
Because the symptoms to moderate exposure is that there are no changes that can be observed whereas there are many observable alterations from FAS
What are the symptoms of low exposure to alcohol
learning difficulties in older years of school/when material is more challenging
poor capacity for abstraction
problems in memory, attention, or judgement
why might cognitive deficits not be apparent in child/adults
they are only apparent once being challenged, such as in later and advanced educational years.
While testing and experimenting with low levels of alcohol in utero in rats, what results are we looking at (3)
- look at neuronal communication in the hippocampus and LTP
- look at brain receptors that support LTP and hippocampus
- look at hippocampal based behaviours
What was the design of this experiment and what methods/tests were used
3 groups:
all of their diet was given to rats in liquid form
1. added 5% alcohol
2. gets higher calories (control_)
3. lower calories (control)
- behaviour: water task
- Neurochemical: NMDA receptor assays
- electrophysiology: LTP induced in the perforant path to dentate gyrus synapses
What is the summary of physical changes that result from low alcohol exposure vs. FAS (4)
- no alteration in birth weight/litter size
- no changes in mortality
- no morphological changes/deficits seen that are seen in FAS
- offspring growth curves and whole brain weight are normal
What neurochemical changes occur in individuals with low exposure (4)
various changes in glutamate receptors and plasticity associated enzymes
NMDA receptor binding affinities are altered
levels of protein kinase C, phospholipases, etc. are altered
metabotropic glutamate receptors-stimulated PI hydrolysis
(overall has to do with ability to encode new experiences, because NMDA focused, changes are found in the hippocampus!)
What electrophysiological changes were seen in individuals with low exposure
they found synaptic transmission was normal and intact
BUT found that after inducing LTP, there were clear changes in biochemical pathways and do not show normal hippocampal plasticity that is important for the support of learning and memory functions. hippocampus is vulnerable to low levels of alcohol.
Explain the water task method used
Originally used the standard version of the water maze task, but did not show differences between groups. They needed a more challenging version so used the 3:1 cue-place and competition learning. (3 days with visible platform, 1 day were not visible, repeated 3 times, then 13th day is competition = invisible where usually was or visible on the completely opposite quadrant.
What are the water task results
They were great on cue, okay on place. This is because Habit system takes over without the hippocampus which means they go to the cue (the visible platform)
Which is shown because almost all animals go to the cue. (specifically the dorsal striatum controls the habitat system and that is taking over)
What is the overall summary of this experiment and lecture
alteration of one system enhances behavioural control of another system - prenatal development altered the hippocampus which led to enhanced control by the dorsal striatum
shows that complex behavioural patterns in adulthood can be permanently altered by single prenatal events
these types of events can fundamentally alter the overall organization of the brain and lead to behavioural changes (making one system weaker and one stronger which impacts behaviour)
