Biosychology - Brain Plasticity And Functional Recovery

Question 1

Brain plasticity

Answer 1

The ability of the brain to modify its structure and function based on experience
Not a static organ - functions change due to experience and injury
Creates new neural pathways and alters existing ones

Question 2

Kemperman et al - brain plasticity

Answer 2

24 rats - 12 in control condition in a cage, 12 in a complex environment with activities and materials
Experimental condition showed an increase in the number of new neurones in their brains (mostly hippocampus) compared to control
X based on rats, significant differences between rats and humans - human behaviours are more complex + life experiences are different.

Question 3

Maguire et all - brain plasticity

Answer 3

16 right-handed London taxi drivers vs 50 right-handed males:
Taxi drivers showed a larger posterior hippocampus compared to control (non-taxi drivers)
Increased grey matter in taxi drivers’ right and left hippocampi
The more time being a London taxi driver, the larger the posterior hippocampus
. Supports concept of brain plasticity
. Suggests experience can change brain structure
. Demonstrates the brains ability to adapt to cognitive demands

Question 4

Kuhn et all - brain plasticity

Answer 4

Gamers who played super Mario for 2 months for at least 30 mins per day
Significant increase in grey matter in prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum compared to control who had no increase after 2 months

Question 5

Functional recovery

Answer 5

When the brain recovers abilities previously lost due to brain injury.
Brain functions move from a damaged area to an undamaged area
Lesion: area of the brain which has suffered damage through injury or disease - lead to loss of function

Question 6

Axonal sprouting

Answer 6

When undamaged axons sprout or grow new nerve endings to replace the old ones in order to reconnect to other neurones

Question 7

Neuronal unmasking

Answer 7

When damage occurs, dormant synapses become activated to take on the function that was lost because of the brain damage
. Dormant synapses receive increased input
. New connections open to compensate for damages areas
. Allows for recovery of function in specific regions

Question 8

Recruitment of homologous areas

Answer 8

Where similar areas sometimes in the other hemisphere are used when an area of the brain is damaged

Question 9

Danelli et al case study

Answer 9

E.B
Most of left hemisphere removed at 2.5 years old because of a tumour.
Initially had problems with language but within two years, he recovered most of his language skills
Over years, language assessed as nearly normal
fMRI scans revealed brain patterns for language in the right hemisphere typically found in the left hemisphere

Question 10

Factors affecting functional recovery

Answer 10

Age:
The younger, the more plastic the brain, so the more likely to recover functions lost following brain trauma.
Education:
The more advanced the education, the more likely the brain is going to recover from trauma
Brains of patients with a university education showed greater recovery than those who didn’t finish high school
Gender:
Females performed significantly better than males on tests of attention + working memory after recovery
Males performed significantly better than females on visual analytical skills

Question 11

Real-world applications

Answer 11

Potential for targeted brain training exercises
Implications for rehabilitation after brain injury
Understanding cognitive decline and potential interventions