PSY-1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 24: Bipolar Disorder, Grey Matter, Automatic Behavior
Document Summary
Teratogen is any chemical substance that can cause harm to a developing fetus. Unfortunately, the most serious effects of exposure are in the first trimester, when women may not be aware that they"re pregnant. The brain continues to be vulnerable to teratogens including psychoactive medications and mood-altering substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and recreational drugs throughout pregnancy. Infants whose mothers were using these substances during pregnancy show reduced gray matter thickness in the cerebral cortex that lasts at least well into childhood. More common genetic abnormalities are more likely seen in children when parents are older. A women in her 40"s has eggs that have been exposed to 40 years of environmental influences. Men who have children at middle age or older offspring are more likely to develop schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other cognitive abnormalities. Newborns display several automatic behaviors in response to stimulation, or. For example, a newborn infant will grasp anything that touches its palm the palmar.
