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Childhood Disorders. Psychology 2617. Introduction. To understand developmental disorders we first have to look at development of the nervous system Basically it goes from head to tail and from near to far. Gross development. When a Mommy and a Daddy really like each other...
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Childhood Disorders Psychology 2617
Introduction • To understand developmental disorders we first have to look at development of the nervous system • Basically it goes from head to tail and from near to far
Gross development • When a Mommy and a Daddy really like each other... • Primitive body at 15 days • Neural plate at about 3 weeks • Plate curls up, forms the neural groove, this becomes the neural tube • By 49 days pretty person like
Stem Cells • Neural stem cells line the neural tube • These divide quickly • Unlike adult stem cells, these guys divide and divide again, like well, like 'normal' (non neural) cells • Adult stem cells divide, but then one daughter cell dies! • Stem cells become neuroblasts or glioblasts
Stages in brain development • Cell birth • Migration • Differentiation • Maturation • Synaptogenesis • Cell death • mylenogenesis
Generation, migration and differentiation • Much easier to fix trauma if early on • Migration takes about oh 6 to 7 weeks • Then differentiation kicks in • Cells formed in a particular region differentiate into different types of neurons • Follow the radial glial road (very cool) • Layers of cortex develop from the inside out, as you would expect
Vulnerability and Plasticity • Teratogens (like booze for example) • Can cause agenisis or dysgenisis • Possibility for injury during birth too • Depending on the insult an immature brain may deal better than a mature one, though this varies more than originally thought
Some specific disorders • Hydrocephalus • Too much CSF • 27 per 100 000 • Pressure damages brain, usually pervasively • Sunting can help • Turner’s syndrome • Missing X • Low cognitive functioing • Less parietal metabolic activity
Acquired disorders • FAS • Growth retardation, facial anomalies • Hard to know how much alcohol is safe • FSS maybe too • Pervasive cognitive and behavioural deficits
Learning disabilities • Dyslexia • Seems to be a genetic cause • Slower flicker fusion • Magnocellular deficit perhaps • Could be due to planum temporale deficits • (symetric in dyslexic people)
Nonverbal Learning disability • Sort of the opposite of dyslexia • Seems it could be a question of integration • Right hemisphere, particularly parietal regions • Talk a lot, but don’t get the sort of social aspects of language
Pervasive developmental disorders • Autism • Poor (if any) linguistic development • Joint attention • Autistic aloneness? • Echolalia • Neologisms • Pretend play is abnormal • Book says 20 per 100 000, more like 300
autism • Hard to know what the cause is, though genetics do play a role • Hard to say what the problem is, is it cortex? HP? Amygdila? Other limbic areas? • Emotional perception and theory of mind
Putting it all together • Canalesthesia • Impaired affective assignment • Asociality • Extended selective attention
Outlook • Well, it depends on the severity • Some autistic people never even develop linguistic skills • Some autistic people end up in special ed programs • Some autistic people finish high school • Some get PhDs!
ADHD • More males than females • Can continue to adulthood • Maybe half of all psychiatric referrals! • Often occurs with other disorders such as ODD and CD • Often with anxiety or depression too
What is the cause? • Genetics • Abnormal corpus collossum? • Less communication • Frontal lobe issue? • Lack of asymmetry • Frontal basal ganglia? • Decreased blood flow
models • So what is the deal on this disorder? • Seems that attention cannot be focused • Most models suggest that some component of attention, or all the components, are messed up • Why do stimulants work? • Well, stimulants focus attention!
Conclusion • Some of this stuff is pretty sad • However, new techniques and diagnostic tools have allowed people with say Hydrocephalus and Autism to lead really fairly normal lives • Drug treatments have been effective for ADHD • There is lots of hope