Exam 5: Genetics and the Development of the Human Brain

 During the development of your four-year-old nephew's brain, a number of neurons died and many synapses were pruned. As a result, when he is older, he will

 Axons growing toward the optic chiasm are directed contralaterally or ipsilaterally by

 When the caudal part of the neural tube fails to close, what disorder typically results?

 Kyle plants a group of seeds in a pot of enriched soil and provides all the seeds with identical temperature, lighting, and water. When his plants are mature, he notices that they are quite different in height. Which of the following is the best conclusion Kyle could draw from his observations?

 Amber and Rachel are identical twins who were raised together, and Nicole and Kayla are identical twins who were adopted by different families at birth. Based on the findings of the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart, what can we expect to see as these girls grow up?

 Critical periods may end as a response to

 Spina bifida is a neurological disease that is correlated with a maternal vitamin deficiency. What is the cause of spina bifida and how is it manifested in a child?

 Calico cats have splotches of colors of fur arrayed on them, with the color being determined by different alleles of an X chromosome gene. Calico cats

 The neural plate develops along the _________ midline from cells in the _________.

 A growth cone for a developing neuron is

 Healthy brain activity as we age appears to be quite independent of lifestyle, so there is little any of us can do to prevent declines in this area.

 Activation of _______ is the mechanism of programmed cell death, or apoptosis.

 Which of the following is the best definition of a gene?

 One-year-old Joey's eyes have been crossing whenever he tries to focus on anything close to him. The doctor has told his parents that he has to have glasses immediately and wear them whenever he is awake. Why would the doctor say that?

 Progenitor cells that divide to produce another progenitor cell and a migrating cell divide along a cleavage line that is _______ to the surface of the ________ zone.

 Queen Victoria of England had a son, Leopold, and a great-grandson, Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich Romanov of Russia, both of whom had hemophilia. We can conclude that

(Figure 5.17) - As the developing axon grows toward its target, it may stick to ____________________ on the surface of other cells (a), ____________________ by following other axons (b), or be influenced by chemicals release by ____________________ (c and d).

 Children born with higher than normal concentrations of neurotrophins may be at risk for the development of

 Cells in the outer layers of the cerebral cortex are the ___________ to begin migrating, and they have the _____________ journey to their final destination.

 New cells formed at the ventricular zone begin to migrate after the _________ following conception.