8.6.3 Critical Periods in Development

• Histone deacetylation reduces protein synthesis during synaptic pruning.
• Critical periods are essential for the development of the nervous system
• Which sensory pathways develop during critical periods?

  Visual, auditory, tactile
• Language acquisition is a key cognitive process influenced by critical periods
• Young children learn languages more easily during their language critical period.
• What is essential for proper vision development during early infancy?

  Exposure to light
• Critical periods are specific and irreversible
• Sensitive periods are flexible and reversible to some extent.
• Match the feature with the correct period:

  Sensitivity ↔️ Highest in critical periods

  Impact ↔️ Profound and lasting in critical periods

  Reversibility ↔️ Possible in sensitive periods
• When are critical periods in human development most responsive to environmental influences?

  Specific times
• Critical periods involve synaptic plasticity and epigenetic modifications
• What are the two types of synaptic plasticity based on experience?

  LTP and LTD
• Epigenetic modifications alter the DNA sequence during critical periods.

  False
• Epigenetic modifications control the timing and duration of critical periods
• Match the mechanism with its function:

  Synaptic Plasticity ↔️ Strengthens or weakens neuronal connections

  Long-term Potentiation ↔️ Amplifies synaptic strength

  Long-term Depression ↔️ Reduces synaptic strength
• What can disruptions of critical periods lead to in sensory development?

  Vision impairments
• Deficits from critical period disruptions are irreversible and severe
• What is the process called when neural circuits are shaped by experience during critical periods?

  Experience-dependent plasticity
• Experience-dependent plasticity is essential for refining neural connections during critical periods.
• Critical periods in neural development are time frames when the nervous system is highly sensitive to environmental influences.
• How do critical periods differ from sensitive periods in reversibility?

  Critical periods are irreversible
• Order the functions influenced by critical periods from sensory to cognitive:

  1️⃣ Sensory: Vision, hearing, and tactile pathways

  2️⃣ Motor: Fine motor skills

  3️⃣ Cognitive: Language acquisition, abstract thought
• Early childhood is the key critical period for fluent language learning
• Critical periods are essential developmental phases when the nervous system is most sensitive to environmental stimuli
• Which sensory pathways are influenced by critical periods?

  Vision, hearing, tactile
• Early childhood is a critical period for fluent language learning.
• Exposure to light is necessary for proper visual development
• Missing critical periods can result in irreversible deficits.
• Critical periods are specific developmental phases when the brain is most responsive to environmental stimuli
• Match the developmental type with its critical period, consequences, and environmental need:

  Language Acquisition ↔️ Early childhood, Permanent language deficits, Rich linguistic environment

  Visual Development ↔️ Early infancy, Vision impairment, Exposure to light
• Synaptic plasticity includes long-term potentiation, which amplifies synaptic strength
• Epigenetic modifications regulate gene expression without altering the DNA sequence.
• Match the mechanism with its function and epigenetic control:

  Synaptic Plasticity ↔️ Strengthens or weakens neuronal connections, DNA methylation

  LTP ↔️ Amplifies synaptic strength, Histone acetylation

  LTD ↔️ Reduces synaptic strength, DNA methylation
• Order the potential effects of disrupting critical periods:

  1️⃣ Sensory Development: Vision impairments due to lack of light

  2️⃣ Motor Development: Coordination problems due to lack of motor stimulation

  3️⃣ Cognitive Development: Permanent language deficits due to insufficient language input
• What is experience-dependent plasticity during critical periods?

  Lasting changes in neural circuits
• Match the type of development with its influence of experience:

  Experience-Dependent ↔️ Essential, Refines connections based on input

  Experience-Independent ↔️ Not necessary, Initial circuits develop genetically
• Visual development requires early exposure to light to establish proper visual pathways.
• What is the term for the brain's sensitivity to environmental stimuli during critical periods?

  Experience-dependent plasticity
• Experience-dependent development is essential for refining neural connections.
• Early exposure to light is necessary for proper visual development