Biospychology- plasticity and functional recovery

Question 1

What is meant by plasticity?

Answer 1

Adaptable or changeable overtime as a result of experience and new learning.

Question 2

What are the effects of aging in neuroplasticity?

Answer 2

– During infancy the brain experiences growth in a number of septic connections. It has peeking at around 15,000 per neuron at age 2 to 3 this is twice as many as in the adult brain.
– As we age connections that are rarely used are deleted and frequently used connections are strengthened in a process known as synaptic pruning.

Question 3

What is the definition of functional recovery?

Answer 3

A form of plasticity where following damage from trauma the brain is able to redistribute functions normally performed by damaged areas to other undamaged areas.

Question 4

What are the three research examples of neuro plasticity and functional recovery?

Answer 4

Davidson et al (2004)– found the Tibetan monks had increased gamma waves when meditating showing long-term changes.

Rosenweig et al (1972) - found the brains of enrich rats were different from the impoverished rats the euros were larger and the cerebral cortex heavier and thicker.

Boyke et al (2008)– found there is a natural decline in cognitive functioning with age. He found that 60-year-olds had increased grey matter in the visual cortex with learning to juggle it decreased when they stopped.

Question 5

What was Maguire’s research into Neuroplasticity and functional recovery?

Answer 5

He studied the brains of London taxi drivers and found significantly more volume of grey matter in the posterior hippocampus than in the matched control group. This part of the brain is associated with the development of spatial and navigational skills in humans and other animals.

Question 6

What is the procedure of Maguire study?

Answer 6

Maguire used 16 healthy right-handed males who were licensed taxi drivers she compared the taxi drivers to 50 healthy right-handed males who were not taxi drivers an MRI was used to detect changes in the structure of the brain as a result of their experience.

Question 7

What were the result of Maguire study into taxi drivers?

Answer 7

The result showed that the taxi drivers had larger posterior hippocampus compared to the controls and that the controls had larger anterior hippocampus compared to the taxi drivers.

Question 8

What is a spurious correlation?

Answer 8

There is not a direct correlation between two things it’s just coincidental.

Question 9

What was Draganski et al research into Neuroplasticity and functional recovery p?

Answer 9

He imaged the brains of medical students three months before and after their final exams learning induced changes were seem to have occurred in the posterior hippocampus and the parietal cortex presumably as a result of studying for the exams.

Question 10

What Mechelli et al (2004) and research into functional recovery and neuro plasticity?

Answer 10

Found a larger parietal cortex in the brains of people who were bilingual compared to match to monolingual controls.

Question 11

What is neural reorganisation?

Answer 11

Healthy brain areas may take over the functions of those areas that are damaged, destroyed or even missing.

Question 12

What is spontaneous recovery?

Answer 12

Neuroscientists suggest that this process can occur quickly after trauma.

Question 13

What is neural regeneration?

Answer 13

The brain is able to retire and reorganise itself by forming new neurons and/or synaptic connections close to the area of damage.

Question 14

What structural changes can occur due to neural regeneration?

Answer 14

• Axonal sprouting: growth of new nerve ending which connects with other undamaged nerve cells to form new neural pathways.
• reformation of blood vessels.
• denervation super-sensitivity: axons become more responsive to compensate for the loss of adjacent neuron’s.

Question 15

What are the strengths of Neuroplasticity and functional recovery?

Answer 15

Hippocampus in taxi drivers
Impoverished versus enriched rats

Question 16

What are the limitations of the theory of Neuroplasticity and functional recovery?

Answer 16

• Better recovery in younger patients
• Better recovery in females

Question 17

Explain the strength of hippocampus in taxi drivers.(PEEL).

Answer 17

P: a key strength of the Neuroplasticity theory is its empirical support from studies which provide strong evidence to support that the brain can undergo structural changes in response to environmental demands.
E: Maguire et al (2000) used MRI scans on London taxidrivers and found that their posterior hippocampal volume was significantly larger than that of a control group correlating with the length of time spent as a taxi driver.
E: this findings supports the concept of Neuroplasticity because it shows the hippocampus can increase in size based on spatial navigation. The ability of the brain to adapt structurally highlights the plastic nature of neural circuit reinforcing the idea that experience can directly shape the brain.
L: therefore empirical evidence such as this increases the validity of Neuroplasticity theory demonstrating its practical application and relevant in real world scenarios.

Question 18

What is impoverished versus enriched rats as a strength of the theory of Neuroplasticity and functional recovery? (PEEL).

Answer 18

P: a strength of the theory of Neuroplasticity is that it is strongly supported by empirical evidence that shows how the brain can change its structure in response to environmental stimuli.
E: Rosenwieg et al. (1972) play rats in either impoverished or enriched cages for 30 to 60 days and conducted post-mortem studies. he found that rats in the enriched environments developed a heavier and thicker brain cortex.
E: this study support Neuroplasticity by demonstrating that the rats brains physically changed as a result of a stimulating environment.
L: therefore this empirical evidence only increases the validity of the Neuroplasticity theory but also enhances our understanding of how the brain can adapt and change in response to our environment.

Question 19

What is better recovery in younger patients as a limitation of the theory of Neuroplasticity?(PEEL).

Answer 19

P: limitation of the world in the brains ability to recover from injury is due to age with younger individuals generally experiencing better functional recovery outcomes.
E: Plata et al. (2008) conducted investigation on the impact of age and recovery from traumatic brain injury. Their findings indicated that younger patient had a higher likelihood of achieving a better recovery compared to older individuals. the younger brains exhibit more robust Neuroplasticity allowing for more effective organisation and compensation for functions.
E: this highlights the concept of cognitive reserve which tends to be higher in young individuals due to greater new plasticity as age ability to neural connections diminishes.
L: therefore this research_the importance of considering age as a crucial factor in functional discovery from range injuries.

Question 20

What is better recovery in females as a limitation of the theory of Neuroplasticity and functional recovery?(PEEL)

Answer 20

P: limitation of the Brainscape capacity for functional recovery from injury may be related to gender with some evidence suggesting that women may experience slightly better recovery outcomes than men.
E: Ratcliffe et al (2007) conducted the study examining the differences in functional recovery after brain injury between men and women. Their findings indicated that women tend to have better outcomes in terms of functional recovery which the researchers attributed to potential hormonal differences that may enhance Neuroplasticity.
E: this studies that Roggan hormone more prevalent in women might play protective role in the brain and facilitate recovery after injury.
L: therefore, the research by Ratcliffe highlights the potential role of Jed recovery for brain injury suggesting that biological differences for gender as well as other factors could contribute to varying recovery outcomes.