Biopsychology - brain plasticity Flashcards
brain plasticity
tendency to change and adapt functionally as result of news experiences and learning
when is peak plasticity
2-3 years old (15,000 synaptic connections)
reasons for plasticity
learning a new skill
developmental changes
direct or indirect trauma to brain
functional recovery
redistribution or transfer of functions after trauma
spontaneous recovery
happens quickly after trauma but complete trauma takes longer and needs rehab support
synaptic pruning
lost synaptic connections as result of not using them as much
axonal sprouting
existing neurons grow new axons to connect adjacent neurons
denervation supersensitivity
remaining axons become more sensitive to compensate for lost ones. leading to side effects of pain
factors affecting functional recovery
age: children most able to recover
gender: women more able to recover
rehabilitative therapy: focused effort means more improvement
constraint induced therapy
stop patients using coping strategies to improve via functional reorganisation
strengths of brain plasticity
+ doesn’t always deteriorate with age, 40 hours golf training in 40-60 year olds. fMRI showed increased activity in motor cortex than control group, shows brain plasticity
+ real world applications of neuro-rehabilitation (constraint induced therapy)
+ support from animal studies, (1963) sewed kittens eye shut. In opposite side of brain, visual cortex still processing info from other eye to compensate for the damaged region
+ Maguire’s taxi drivers, London. Larger posterior hippocampi than controls
limitations of brain plasticity
- negative behavioural consequences. prolonged drug use increases chance of dementia in future. 60-80% of amputees experience phantom limb syndrome as result of reorganisation in somatosensory cortex
- level of education influences recovery rates, more time in education means higher chance of disability free recovery. 40% DFR with more than 16 yr education. 10% DFR with less than 12 yr education
