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Two Effects of the Environment on Physiological Processes By Mr Daniel Hansson Important Definitions Physiological processes: Body and brain functions and activities Neuroplasticity: Changes in the brain due to environment or changes in behavior The Effect of Deprivation and Stimulation on Plasticity Neurons can compensate for injury or disease or to adjust their activities in response to new situations or changes in the environment. The brain is more plastic in early life. The brain can rearrange the connections between neurons The brain can generate new neurons throughout life Learning can increase/decrease neurotransmission between specific neurons It is assumed that as your behavior changes, so does the underlying neural circuitry. Research Studies Related to Plasticity Rosenzweig & Bennett (1972) Goldapple (2004) Small and Vorgan (2008) Curtis case study of Genie (1977) Pascal-Leone (2002) Maguire et al. taxi driver study (2000) The Effect of Sunlight on Vitamin D Production Vitamin D is synthesized in our skin when we are exposed to direct sunlight. Vitamin D is thought to activate and deactivate enzymes in the brain that are involved with plasticity Studies suggest that Vitamin D protects neurons and reduces inflammations. Research Studies Related to Vitamin D and Sunlight Kent (2009): A correlational study on 14,474 American participants. The findings showed that participants with low exposure to sunlight was associated with a significantly higher cognitive impairment. Llewellyn (2009): A correlational study on 1,700 British participants. The findings showed that the lower the participants vitamin D levels, the lower their performance on mental tests. University of Manchester (2009): A correlational study on vitamin D levels and cognitive performance 3,100 men aged 40 to 79 in eight European countries. The findings showed that people with lower vitamin D levels had slower information-processing speed.