1 / 12

Hormones and Brain Development

Hormones and Brain Development. Before we begin… In your journal, write 3 questions that you have relating to hormones and brain development. Journal Entry #9: a) Read pages 228- 230- end before Injury and Brain Development b) Did the reading answer any of your questions? Explain.

ivana
Download Presentation

Hormones and Brain Development

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Hormones and Brain Development Before we begin… In your journal, write 3 questions that you have relating to hormones and brain development

  2. Journal Entry #9: a) Read pages 228- 230- end before Injury and Brain Developmentb) Did the reading answer any of your questions? Explain.

  3. Hormones and Brain Development • Testosterone (Androgren) • Stimulates development of male reproductive organs and the later development of male secondary sexual characteristics (e.g., facial hair) during puberty • Masculinization • Process by which exposure to androgens (male hormones) alters the brain, rendering it identifiably male

  4. Hormones and Brain Development • The presence of testosterone and estrogen both affect the development of the brain • Can alter: • Number of neurons • Dendritic branching • Synaptic growth • Not just areas of brain related to sexual behavior: These hormones can affect “higher functions”such as cognition

  5. Sex Differences in Brain Volume

  6. Hormones and Brain Development Bachevalier and colleagues: Postnatal Effects • Monkeys (concurrent discrimination task and object reversal learning) • Male and females showed different patterns of performance on tests at 2.5 months old (males were better at reversal learning but females were better at concurrent discrimination) • Males that had testes removed at birth performed more like females

  7. Concurrent-discrimination task Measures trial and error learning of specific object information- function of basal ganglia

  8. Hormones and Brain Development Bachevalier and colleagues: Postnatal Effects • Humans • Similarly, males and females showed different patterns of performance around 15 to 30 months of age • Sex differences disappeared at 32 to 55 months of age

  9. Hormones and Brain Development Bachevalier and colleagues: Postnatal Effects Conclusion: Testosterone influences the rate of early brain development in areas related to certain cognitive behaviors.

  10. Hormones and Brain Development Juraska (1990): Postnatal Effects • Rats Reared in Complex Environments • Males showed more dendritic growth in the visual cortex than females • Females showed more dendritic growth in frontal lobes than males • Summary: • Sex differences in brain structure exist throughout development

  11. A gynandromorph- exhibits physical characteristics of both sexes

  12. Homework: Answer these questions in your journal (as part of entry #9) • How is the determination of sex genetic? • How does testosterone affect brain development? • At which periods throughout life do hormones have an effect on brain development? • Are male and female brains the same? Explain, using evidence to support your answer. • What is the author of the textbook’s perspective on the effects of nature vs. nurture on the sexual dimorphisms that exist in the brain? Do you agree?

More Related