PSYCH 350 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Cerebral Palsy, Executive Functions, Sleep Deprivation
17 Feb 2013
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Chapter five: brain, motor skill, and physical development. Brainstem and the midbrain are involved in basic reflexes and sensory processing as well as digestion, elimination and respiration. These functions are all fairly well established at birth. The cortex is the part of the brain that is most closely linked to sensation, motor responses, thinking, planning and problem solving. The frontal cortex is the region of the brain most directly involved in higher levels of cognition and tends to be the latest to mature. Neurons are cells that carry electrochemical messages within various regions of the brain. Neuronal changes include proliferation, migration and differentiation. Proliferation is the production of new nerve cells. Production begins near the end of the prenatal development right after the closing of the neural tube. Production is completed by the sixth month of prenatal development. Migration is when neurons move from the neural tube to other locations.
