LING 1200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Embryonic Stem Cell, Axon Terminal, Neuroplasticity

• School: University of Manitoba
• Department: Linguistics
• Course: LING 1200
• Professor: Erin L.Wilkinson

Document Summary

Newly formed neurons that have the capacity to divide and multiply (called neurogenesis) Many brain disease could be eliminated by stimulating the growth of new neurons (alzheimer"s, parkinson"s) Scientists prefer the embryonic stem cells obtained from aborted fetuses because they can form any type of cell (regenerate brain tissue) ethical controversy. Point of information transfer from axon of one neuron to dendrite of another. Consists of: one neurons axon terminal, a synaptic cleft (tiny space between the axon terminal and a dendrite), and another neurons dendrite. Number of synapses in the brain increase during infancy, as an outcome of learning. Unused synapses are pruned away (at early stage of development) Patterns of communication between brain cells (at synapses) are modified by learning (throughout lifetime) Changes in connections between neurons in response to experience is called brain plasticity. Nature of connections in brain change drastically throughout life span.