Biopsychology: Plasticity And Functional Recovery Of The Brain After Trauma Flashcards
1
Q
What is plasticity
A
- describes the brains tendency to change and adapt as a result of experience and new learning
2
Q
What is functional recovery
A
- a form of plasticity
- following damage through trauma, the brains ability to redistribute or transfer functions usually performed by a damaged area to other areas
3
Q
What is synaptic pruning
A
- a process where rarely used connections are deleted and frequently used connections are strengthened
4
Q
Outline research into plasticity conducted by maguire et al
A
- maguire et al - studied the brains of taxi drivers. Found more volume of grey matter in the hippocampus than the control group
- this part of the brain is associated with development of spatial and navigational skills
5
Q
Outline research into plasticity conducted by Draganski et al
A
- imaged the brains of medical students 3 months before and after their final exam
- learning induced changes occurred in the hippocampus presumably as a result of the exam
6
Q
Outline the process of functional recovery of the brain after trauma
A
- following physical injury/ other forms of trauma, healthy areas of the brain may take over the functions of areas that are damaged, destroyed or even missing
- neuroscientists suggest this can occur quickly
7
Q
What happens in the brain during recovery
A
- the brain can rewire and reorganise itself by forming new synaptic connections close to the damaged area
- secondary neural pathways not typically used are activated to enable functioning to continue in the same way as before (doidge)
8
Q
What structural changes occur in the brain during recovery
A
- axonal sprouting - growth of new nerve endings which connect with other undamaged nerve cells to form new neural pathways
- reformation of blood vessels
- recruitment of similar areas on the opposite side of the brain to perform specific tasks
9
Q
What are the three evaluation points for plasticity and functional recovery
A
- practical application
- negative plasticity
- age and plasticity
10
Q
Outline ‘practical application’ as an evaluation point for plasticity and functional recovery
A
- understanding the processes involved in plasticity has constructed to the field of neurorehabilitation
- recovery tends to slow down after a few weeks/months
- so physical therapy may be required to maintain its improvements in functioning i.e. movement therapy
11
Q
Outline ‘negative plasticity’ as an evaluation point for plasticity and functional recovery
A
- the brains ability to require itself can sometimes have maladaptive behavioural consequences
- e.g. prolonged drug use has been shown to result in poorer cognitive functioning + increased risk of dementia (medina et al)
-60-80% of amputees have also been known to develop phantom limb syndrome
12
Q
Outline ‘age and plasticity ’ as an evaluation point for plasticity and functional recovery
A
- functional plasticity tends to reduce with age
- however, bezzola et al demonstrated how 40 hours of golf training produced changes in the neural representation of movement in ppts aged 40-60
