3.8. Plasticity and Functional Recovery

Question 1

What is plasticity?

Answer 1

The brain’s ability to modify its own structure due to experience.

Question 2

How does plasticity link to strengthening the brain?

Answer 2

The more you use it/ challenge it, the greater the neural connections/ gamma waves/ grey matter

Question 3

How do you build a Cognitive Reserve?

Answer 3

1. Life experience
2. Video games
3. Meditation

Question 4

How does life experience build a cognitive reserve?

Answer 4

Frequently used pathways gain strength but rarely used ones fade/ decay

Question 5

What is old thinking?

Answer 5

A natural decline in cognitive functioning as we age

Question 6

What is a new belief?

Answer 6

If we continue to challenge our brain, we continue to strengthen it throughout life

Question 7

What did Boyke find?

Answer 7

Increased grey matter in 60 year olds that learned to juggle, but once they stopped, grey matter decreased

Question 8

How do video games build a cognitive reserve?

Answer 8

They increase grey matter due to using complex cognitive and motor actions which result in greater synaptic connections between spatial awareness and planning in working memory.

Question 9

How does meditation build a cognitive reserve?

Answer 9

Tibetan monks that meditate have higher levels of gamma waves = increased coordination of neuron activity

Question 10

Strength: Kempermann

Answer 10

Rats housed in enriched environments had increased neurons in the hippocampus as well as the ability to navigate from one location to another -> compared to rats raised in impoverished environments

• Animal research

Question 11

Strength: Maguire

Answer 11

Studied brain activity of London Taxi Drivers (using the ‘knowledge test’)
They had a lot more grey matter than a control group (non-taxi driver), specifically in an area associated with spatial and navigational skills.
Ppts had to complete the ‘knowledge test’, assessing their recall of streets and how to get to locations
The longer they’d been doing the job, the greater the difference

+ control group used (shows cause and effect)
+ real world occurrence
+ scientific measure
- not sure if the job caused the difference or whether certain people have these skills and drawn to the job

Question 12

What is functional recovery?

Answer 12

Moving functions from a damaged area to an undamaged area after trauma

Healthy brains may take over functions of damage/ lost

Question 13

How fast is the process?

Answer 13

Process is initially quick (spontaneous recovery) but slows down -> leads to need for rehabilitation

Question 14

Which two methods make functional recovery happen?

Answer 14

1. Neural masking
2. Stem cells

Question 15

What is neural masking?

Answer 15

Dormant areas in your brain become unmasked -> new neural pathways are forced down dormant areas and become activated

Question 16

What is the role of stem cells?

Answer 16

Implanted from bone marrow and either replace the dead, rescue the dying or act as a link between the living and dying

Question 17

How does functional recovery happen?

Answer 17

1. Axon sprouting
2. Denervation/ supersensitivity
3. Recruitment of homologous areas

Question 18

What is axon sprouting?

Answer 18

Growth of new nerve endings, connect with undamaged nerve endings to form new neural pathways

Question 19

What is denervation/ supersensitivity?

Answer 19

Axons that do a similar job become aroused to a higher level to compensate for ones lost

Question 20

What is recruitment of homologous areas?

Answer 20

The opposite hemisphere can be used?

Question 21

What is the case of J.W?

Answer 21

Learned to speak out of right hemisphere after trauma

Question 22

Strength: Tajin

Answer 22

• Rats with brain injury assigned to : 1. stem cells or 2. placebo
• After 3 months, ‘stem cell’ rats showed development of neuron-like cells in brain injury area

+ Animal studies allow us to look at before and after trauma to see the difference which isn’t ethical to humans

• Animal research, caution should be taken

Question 23

Strength: belief

Answer 23

A belief that ability to functionally recover decreases with age (unless plasticity is good).
Sometimes compensatory strategies are needed to help recover.

Neurorehabilitation: Use of motor therapy and electrical stimulation of the brain to counter negative effects in motor and cognitive functioning.

Question 24

Strength: Schneider

Answer 24

People with the equivalent of a college education are 7x more likely to be disability free after 1 year of trauma (compared to those that didn’t finish school)

Education creates a cognitive reserve (plasticity) allowing neural adaptation needed for recovery