Provide an overview of key age-related physiological changes by discussing normal and abnormal changes within neurons

What will be an ideal response?


Neurofibrillary tangles are spiral-shaped masses formed when fibers that compose the axon become twisted together. These tangles interfere with the neuron's ability to transmit information down the axon. Some degree of tangling occurs normally with age, but large numbers of neurofibrillary tangles are associated with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Neuritic plaques are a structural change in the brain produced when damaged and dying neurons collect around a core of protein. Plaques likely interfere with normal functioning of healthy neurons. The specific number of plaques that indicate a healthy aging brain is unknown, but large numbers of plaques are considered a defining criteria of dementia. With age, levels of neurotransmitters decline and are believed to be responsible for numerous age-related behavioral changes, including those in memory and sleep, and perhaps for afflictions such as Parkinson's disease.

Psychology

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______ is the mean of the Y variable minus the slope times the mean of the X variable.

A. slope B. curve C. best fit D. intercept

Psychology

Questions of racial bias in standardized testing most often relate to the_________.

A. nature–nurture debate B. theory of multiple intelligences C. theory of natural selection D. triarchic theory of intelligence

Psychology

The difference in sleep patterns when Dave was a child vs. when he was an adult is that during childhood,

A. there was less REM sleep and more deep sleep. B. REM sleep was a greater percentage of his sleep. C. he did not experience REM sleep at all D. he experienced equal amounts of REM and non-REM sleep.

Psychology

Which statement describes a reliable means by which to determine the side of the brain that is dominant for speech?

A. Ask whether an individual is left handed or right handed. B. Watch the direction of eye movement when a person thinks of a purely linguistic question. C. Assess changes in cerebral blood flow during verbal behavior. D. Note in which hand the person holds a book while reading aloud.

Psychology