Rob Davis

PRENATAL Influences – physiology of egg and sperm, intrauterine environment, genetic transmission, errors, mutations. Psychosocial environment influences via mothers’ stress hormones and self-care behaviors. 2 weeks-6 months: Neurons divide and multiply. NO new neurons develop postnatally. Problems –> fewer neurons at beginning of life (e.g., MR) 6 weeks-6 months: Neurons migrate. Move from central ventricle … Read more

Principles of Neural Development Steps of Development and Placement of Neurons Proliferation (cell generation by mitosis) occurs inside neural tube. Neurogenesis term used to describe nerve cell production Mitotic cycle of each cell follows a fixed sequence, resulting in production of neuroblasts (nerve cell precursors) or glioblasts (glial cell precursors) Migration – after proliferative phase … Read more

Introduction Structural foundations of cog and beh domains take the form of partially overlapping large-scale networks organized around reciprocally interconnected cortical epicenters Spatial Attention Network (Rt hemisphere) Lang Network (Lt hemisphere) Memory-Emotion Network (Limbic) Executive Function-Comportment Network (Prefrontal) Face-and-Object Identification Network (Ventral occipitotemporal)   Parts of the Cerebral Cortex Human cortex contains approximately 20 billion … Read more

About the Basal Ganglia The Basal Ganglia give rise to the extrapyramidal tract, which modulates the corticospinal (pyramidal) tract. This tract controls muscle tone, regulates motor activity, and generates postural reflexes However, the extrapyramidal tract’s efferent fibers communicate via the cerebral cortex and thalamus – they do NOT communicate directly with the spinal cord   … Read more

Anatomical And Clinical Review The basal ganglia (BG) participate in the complex neural networks that influence: Descending motor systems Control of emotions Cognition Eye movements Note: The BG do not project directly to the periphery Lesions of the BG may cause: Hyperkinetic movement disorders such as Huntington’s disease (HD) or Hypokinetic movement disorders such as … Read more

Three components of Working Memory: Central Executive System (CES) Functions to coordinate and schedule different mental operations including the processing and immediate storage of info-controls the functioning of the 2 slave systems Core feature of the CES is that the capacity of the system is limited, performance begins to break down as the demands on … Read more