Neural pruning

What is neural pruning?

• communication between neighbouring neurons through the movement of neurochemicals across the synapse

• the way in which new regions of the cortex take over the localisations of regions that have been damaged

• the process by which the brain changes and adapts as a result of experience.

• a natural process that occurs in the brain in which synapses that are no longer needed are removed

a natural process that occurs in the brain in which synapses that are no longer needed are removed

• Neuroplasticity

• Neural pruning

• Neurotransmission

• Neural Networking

Which of the following is not involved in neural pruning in the brain?

• microglial cells

• engulfment

• selective elimination

• Schwann cells

Which of the following studies is the best example of neural pruning?

• Maguire

• Draganski

• Antonova

• Scheele

In the study by Draganski, neural pruning explains the decrease in grey matter concentration when the participants stopped...

• driving

• juggling

• playing the piano

• speaking

Specific synapses which have been identified as weak due to infrequent activation are removed in a process called...

• Selective elimination

• Elective dissemination

• General Abolition

• Specific extermination

Selective elimination targets and removes what type of synapses...

• Strong

• Over-used

• Weak

• Regularly activated

How do microglial cells remove under-used, weak synapses?

• Engulfment

• Depolarisation

• Hyperpolarisation

• Long term potentiation

What type of cells monitor neural networks, identifying and engulfing weaker synapses?

• Microglial cells

• Oligodendrocytes

• Neurons

• Endothelial cells

Which parts of a neuron are destroyed when synapses are engulfed by microglial cells? There are two correct answers.

• Axon terminal

• Dendritic spine

• Axon

• Nucleus