Deck 15: Brain Development and Plasticity

Question 1

During infancy there is a massive proliferation of new neural connections.This development process is called:

A)Neurulation
B)Neurogenesis
C)Synaptogenesis
D)Myelination

Answer 1

C

Question 2

After brain damage, cell death may extend past the area of damage; this process is called:

A)Transneuronal degeneration
B)Necrosis
C)Gliosis
D)Edema

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which region do functional imaging studies implicate in dyslexia?

A)Basal ganglia
B)Perisylvian regions
C)Prefrontal regions
D)Anterior cingulate

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What pattern best describes the pattern of synaptic development during childhood?

A)Synapses begin to form after birth and increase with each year of development
B)Synapses are overproduced during gestation, and are pruned back following birth
C)Synaptic proliferation proceeds at a similar pace across all brain regions
D)Synaptogenesis is following by pruning in a regionally specific manner

Question 5

The main difference between experience-expectant and experience-dependent systems is:

A)Experience-expectant systems require input during sensitive periods to develop normally
B)Experience-expectant systems vary between individuals
C)Experience-dependent systems require input during sensitive periods to develop normally
D)Experience-dependent systems are similar between individuals

Question 6

Which regions of the brain are most susceptible to the effects of aging?

A)Frontal and temporal regions
B)Cerebellum
C)Parietal lobe
D)Occipital lobe

Question 7

Based on what we know on sensitive periods in development, which of the following is true:

A)Sensitive period disruptions from deprivation can be fully reversed
B)Only sensorimotor development is adversely affected by sensitive period disruptions
C)Social isolation during sensitive periods can cause alterations in white matter volume
D)Children with language deficits during sensitive periods spontaneously recover in their abilities in adulthood

Question 8

Risky decision-making in adolescence is believed to result from which of the following aspects of neural development:

A)Underdeveloped working memory abilities
B)Inability to inhibit distracting information
C)Increased striatal activations and decreased lateral prefrontal activation
D)Decreased reward processing

Question 9

What does the Kennard principle suggest about recovery of function after brain injury in children and adults?

A)Recovery in adults is superior to children.
B)Recovery in children is superior to adults.
C)Recovery in children and adults does not differ.
D)Recovery of function in children protects later-developing functions more than earlier-developing ones.

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of cross-modal plasticity:

A)Areas in the motor cortex being reorganized after paralysis
B)The visual cortex being recruited during Braille reading in someone with congenital blindness
C)Phantom limb sensation after amputation
D)Network relearning after stroke to regain speech and cognitive functions

Question 11

What syndrome do the following facial features indicate: long, narrow face; a long, prominent chin; and large ears?

A)Down syndrome
B)Rubella infection
C)Fragile X syndrome
D)Fetal alcohol syndrome

Question 12

In which areas does synaptogenesis occur most rapidly?

A)Primary sensor and motor areas
B)Prefrontal cortex
C)Association areas
D)Brainstem and cerebellum

Question 13

What disorder is characterized by a profound lack of desire to interact emotionally or socially with other people?

A)Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
B)Dyslexia
C)Autism
D)Down syndrome

Question 14

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is characterized by delay aversion and is related to which of the following neural patterns:

A)Hyperactivation of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during working memory tasks
B)Oppositional activation of the anterior and posterior frontal regions during attention tasks
C)Increased functional connectivity across frontal and limbic areas during control tasks
D)Hypoactivation of the basal ganglia in anticipation of rewards

Question 15

Synaptic blooming and pruning is an important part of development.Research has shown that children who have early increased cortical thickening and faster subsequent cortical thinning showed the following:

A)Dyslexia
B)Higher IQ
C)Language delays
D)Sensory sensitivities

Question 16

Environmental enrichment studies on children have found which of the following:

A)Institutionalized children who remained institutionalized showed the same developmental quotients as children placed in foster care
B)Institutionalized children who were put into foster care after 2 years of age showed better developmental quotients than institutionalized children
C)Institutionalized children who were put into foster care before 2 years of age showed better developmental quotients than institutionalized children put in foster care after 2 years of age
D)The only developmental differences were between children who were never institutionalized and those who were

Question 17

Which neurodevelopmental disorder is associated with increased cortical thickness in early life, slower rates myelination, and repetitive behaviors during play?

A)Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
B)Fragile X syndrome
C)Autism
D)Down syndrome

Question 18

Studies on reading ability and neural development have found which of the following:

A)Greater reading ability was related to more local co-activations
B)Greater reading ability was related to increased gray matter volume
C)Greater reading ability was related to less long-distance co-activations
D)Greater reading ability was related to increased white matter volume

Question 19

What process following brain damage often accompanies transneuronal degeneration and can be easily detected by brain imaging techniques?

A)Necrosis
B)Calcification
C)Phagocytosis
D)Angiogenesis

Question 20

Down syndrome is caused by three chromosomes in which pair?

A)12
B)20
C)21
D)23

Question 21

Research on the cognitive and neural changes of aging has revealed which of the following:

A)Crystallized intelligence decreases
B)Memory ability declines
C)Negative biases increase
D)Emotion regulation increases