6. BIOPSYCHOLOGY (PLASTICITY & FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY OF THE BRAIN AFTER TRAUMA) Flashcards
What is plasticity in the brain?
Plasticity refers to the brain’s ability to change and adapt both functionally and physically due to experience and new learning. This involves the growth of new connections and the pruning of weak ones.
How does synaptic pruning relate to brain plasticity?
Synaptic pruning is the process where the brain removes rarely used connections, allowing the brain to adapt by strengthening frequently used pathways and creating new neural connections.
What is the significance of Boyke et al. (2008) in relation to plasticity?
Boyke et al. (2008) demonstrated that even in 60-year-olds, learning a new skill like juggling can lead to physical changes in the brain, such as increased grey matter in the visual cortex, showing that plasticity can occur in adulthood.
What was the aim of Maguire et al.’s (2000) study on brain plasticity?
Maguire et al. aimed to investigate whether extensive experience with spatial navigation (such as being a taxi driver) leads to detectable changes in the brain.
What was the method used in Maguire et al.’s (2000) study on brain plasticity?
The sample consisted of 16 male London taxi drivers and 50 male control participants who did not drive taxis. The researchers used an MRI scanner to calculate the amount of grey matter in the brains of both groups.
What were the findings of Maguire et al.’s (2000) study?
The study found that London taxi drivers had significantly larger posterior hippocampi compared to control participants, and this increase in size was positively correlated with the number of years spent driving a taxi.
What is a limitation of Maguire et al.’s (2000) study?
A limitation is the small sample size (only 16 male taxi drivers), which may limit the generalizability of the results to a broader population, especially females.
What evidence is there for continued plasticity in adulthood?
Bezzola et al. (2012) demonstrated that 40 hours of golf training led to increased motor cortex activity in participants aged 40-60, suggesting that neural plasticity continues throughout the lifespan.
What is an example of negative plasticity?
A negative consequence of plasticity is phantom limb syndrome, where amputees experience painful sensations in a missing limb due to cortical reorganization in the somatosensory cortex.
What is functional recovery in the context of brain trauma?
Functional recovery refers to the brain’s ability to reorganize itself and transfer functions from damaged areas to undamaged areas, often through plasticity.
What processes occur in the brain during functional recovery?
The brain can undergo axonal sprouting, denervation supersensitivity, and recruitment of homologous areas in the opposite hemisphere to compensate for lost functions.
What is neuronal unmasking in brain recovery?
Neuronal unmasking refers to the activation of previously dormant synapses that become functional after brain damage, allowing for new connections to form and aiding in recovery.
What was the aim of Danelli et al.’s (2013) study on functional recovery?
The aim was to investigate whether the brain could functionally recover by redistributing functions from the damaged left hemisphere to the undamaged right hemisphere in a child who had undergone a hemispherectomy.
What did Danelli et al. (2013) find in their case study?
Danelli et al. found that the right hemisphere compensated for the loss of the left hemisphere, and the individual was able to regain linguistic abilities, though with some minor issues like grammatical errors.
What is a limitation of using case studies to investigate brain recovery?
Case studies are often unrepresentative, making it difficult to generalize findings to the broader population, especially regarding individual differences in recovery.
