Biopsychology: brain plasticity and functional recovery

Question 1

Functional recovery

Answer 1

Brain loses an ability and recovers the ability overtime, by unaffected areas adapting and compensating for damaged area

Question 2

Brain plasticity

Answer 2

Brains ability to change and adapt its own structure a result of experience

Question 3

Neuronal unmasking

Answer 3

Brain can rewire itself by forming new synaptic connections close to the area of damage.

Question 4

Axon sprouting

Answer 4

The growth of new axons which connect to undamaged areas, helping neural pathways to connect to other neurons in undamaged areas

Question 5

Neural plasticity example

Answer 5

Recovering from brain injury: Following physical injury, unaffected areas are able to adapt and compensate for the damaged areas. This is neural plasticity.

Question 6

How does the brain rewire itself?

Answer 6

Froms new synaptic connections close to area of damage.

Secondary neural dormant pathways become activated to enable functioning to continue

Question 7

What 2 processes support neuronal unmasking?

Answer 7

1) Axon sprouting

2) Recruitment of homologous areas in the opposite hemisphere

Question 8

Axon sprouting

Answer 8

Axon = arm of the nerve cell.
Axon sprouting is the growth of new axons which connect to undamaged areas, helping neural pathways to connect to other neurons in the undamaged areas.

Question 9

Recruitment of homologous areas in the opposite hemisphere

Answer 9

functions being carried out by the dormant areas of the other hemisphere. Possible because hemispheres are largely symmetrical.

Question 10

Stem cell

Answer 10

Unspecialised cell which has the potential to become any other type of cell

Question 11

3 uses of stem cells in functional recovery of brain

Answer 11

Direct implants
Rescue implants
Neural networks

Question 12

Direct implants

Answer 12

Stem cells that replace damaged cells

Question 13

Rescue implants

Answer 13

Stem cells that release growth hormones to repair damaged cells

Question 14

Neural network

Answer 14

Stem cells form a network linking an undamaged brain site (where new stem cells are made), with the damaged region of the brain, to create functional recovery.

Question 15

Maguire et al - aim

Answer 15

Whether changes in the brain could be detected as a result of their extensive experience of spatial navigation

Question 16

Maguire et al - procedure

Answer 16

MRI scanner calculated amount of grey matter in brains of taxi drivers and a set of control pp’s

Question 17

Maguire et al - findings

Answer 17

Posterior hippocampi of taxi drivers significantly larger compared to control pp’s
Conclude - posterior hippocampal volume + correlates with amount of time spent as taxi driver