3B brain injury and adaptive plasticity

Question 1

brain injury is

Answer 1

any brain damage that impairs or interferes with, the normal functioning of the brain, either temporarily or permanently. most cases are acquired brain injury

Question 2

sudden vs insidious onset

Answer 2

sudden onset caused by trauma, accident infection stroke or drug use episode.
insidious is prolonged such as drug or alcohol abuse or Parkinson’s disease

Question 3

frontal lobe damage

Answer 3

biological - physical changes and impairments with motor activity
psychological - changes in emotion and personality, cognitive impairments (forgetfulness or trouble planning)
social - a breakdown in relationships and difficulty in establishing new relationships

Question 4

spatial neglect

Answer 4

an attentional disorder in which the patient ignores the stimuli on one side of their world (usually the left)

• stroke or accident victims
• parietal lobe damage

Question 5

brain plasticity

Answer 5

the ability of the brain to change its structure or function in response to stimulation from the environment

• neural connections can be modified for different reasons (development, learning, injury)
• a child’s brain is more plastic than an adult

Question 6

adaptive plasticity

Answer 6

the ability of the brain to compensate for lost function and maximise remaining functions in the event of brain injury
reorganisation involves rerouting and sprouting

Question 7

sprouting

Answer 7

a neuron’s ability to develop new branches on the dendrites or axons

Question 8

rerouting

Answer 8

a neuron’s ability to form a new connection with another undamaged neuron