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brain plasticity Flashcards

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1
Q

what does brain plasticity refer to

A

bp refers to the brains ability to change and adapt in response to new experiences, including brain damage.

adapting synapses, pathways, structures in the light of various experiences inc trauma

The brain’s ability to change and adapt in response to new experiences
The brain’s ability to change and adapt in response to brain damage

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2
Q

what are the mechanisms of bp

A

rewiring
synapse strengthening
neuronal unmasking

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3
Q

Explain how neuronal unmasking contributes to learning

A

Neuronal unmasking is when silent synapses become active and so reveal hidden neuronal connections between brain regions.

These hidden connections reactivate to help our brain to change and adapt to new experiences, which contributes to learning.

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4
Q

synapse strengthening

A

s

Synapse strengthening is when synapses between two neurons become stronger, making the transmission of nerve impulses between the neurons more likely.

Synapse strengthening causes an increase in the number of nerve impulses between neurons.

Synapse strengthening occurs due to increased amounts of neurotransmitters crossing the synapse.

Synapse strengthening occurs due to an increased amount of post-synaptic receptors.

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5
Q

who did the taxi driver study

A

maguire

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6
Q

what type of study was the maguires taxi drivers

A

quasi experiment

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7
Q

why was maguires a quasi experiment

A

exp as comparing 2 groups with different levels of the IV
didnt randomly allocate ps into the groups= couldnt control p variables (which may have influenced dv(size of ps brains)
didnt manipulate iv
iv was their job a personal characteristic (a difference between the 2 groups which already existed) This meant that she couldn’t assign her participants to the experimental group or control group; the participants already belonged to one group or the other

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8
Q

what did maguire use to compare the brains

A

MRI scanner

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9
Q

what were the differences between taxi driver and control brain

A

the findings indicated that the posterior hippocampi of taxi drivers were significantly larger relative to those of control participants

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10
Q

what was the correlation in maguires study

A

the posterior hippocampal volume was positively correlated with the amount of time they has spent as a taxi driver (a measure of their experience)

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11
Q

Maguire concluded that the experience of being a taxi driver led to changes in the brain, like rewiring. true or false

A

true

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12
Q

why cant maguires study establish c + e (counterbalance and limitation)

A

it could only show a correlation because it cannot be determined that the larger hippocampus was a result of being a taxi driver or that people with big H want to be taxi drivers/did the difference exist beforehand, we dont know what came first
didnt maniupulate iv

temporal precedence

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12
Q

Maguire concluded that the experience of being a taxi driver led to changes in the brain, like synapse strengthening. true or false

A

false

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13
Q

Maguire found that as time spent as a taxi driver increased, the size of a participants hippocampus also increased. What type of correlation does this describe?

A

positive correlation

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14
Q

why were the taxi drivers hippocampus’ bigger

A

because they had formed more neuronal connections in their hippocampus

rewiring

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15
Q

what does maguries study show support for

A

brain plasticity in humans
brain plasticity of adults

new experiences like taxi driving lead to changes in the brain that allow us to learn

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16
Q

does maguires study have ecological validity and why

A

yes because it was a real life experiment over time

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17
Q

what is the posterior hippocampus used for

A

long term memory, associated with the formation of new memories and the ability to navigate from one location to another, spatial navigation

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18
Q

Explain why participant variables may have been a problem in Maguire’s study.

A

Maguire’s study was a quasi experiment, which means that the participants were assigned to their groups based on their jobs, rather than any manipulation created by Maguire. This could be a problem, because there may be other factors (participant variables) related to being a taxi driver that could cause the difference in hippocampal volume, such as interest in talking to people, or a preference for driving.

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19
Q

What is the term for when new synapses are formed between two neurons that weren’t previously connected via a synapse?

A

rewiring

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20
Q

what did maguires study investigate

A

investigated taxi drivers to discover whether changes in the brain could be detected as a result of their experience of extensive experience of spatial navigation

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21
Q
A
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22
Q

what study shows support for bp in animals

A

kempermann

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23
Q

what did kempermann study research

A

used rats to investigate whether an enriched environment could alter the number of neurons in the brain

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24
Q

kempermann findings

A

compared to rats housed in lab cages, those rats housed in complex/enriched environments had an increased number of neurons in the brain particularly the hippocampus

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25
Q

kempermann conclusions

A

support for bp
exposure to enriched environment leads to changed structure of the brain

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26
Q

limitations to kempermann

A

animal study so can the findings be generalised to humans

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27
Q

who did the video games study

A

kuhn

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28
Q

kuhn video games study particpants

A

controlled group and experimental trained group (2 months at 30mins a day on super mario)

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29
Q

kuhn findings

A

showed a significant increase in grey matter in various areas of the brain including cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, this increase is not evident in control group

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30
Q

kuhn conclusions

A

video game training resulted in new synaptic connections in brain areas involved in spatial navigation, strategic planning, working memory, motor performance, skills that were important in playing the game successfully

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31
Q

does kuhn’s study have c+e and why

A

yes because the brains were scanned before and after exposure to iv therefore you can establish real change in response to experience

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32
Q

why is kuhn’s study a good lab experiment

A

controlled
random allocation
directly manipulated iv
c+e

didnt have p variables

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33
Q

Kuhn’s study found that learning is accompanied by plastic changes in the brain, like ….

A

rewiring not synapse strengthening

34
Q

who did the study of bp on older adult juggling

A

boyke

35
Q

what was the point of boykes study

A

to investigate the existence of bp in older adults to see if the natural decline in cognitive functioning that occurs with age, can be reversed

36
Q

participants of boykes study

A

60 yrs olds

37
Q

what did boykes participants do

A

observing the effect, on the brain, of being taught a new skill (juggling)

38
Q

findings of boyke

A

increased grey matter in the visual cortex

39
Q

what happened when boykes ps stopped practicing juggling

A

the changes (of increased grey matter) where reversed

40
Q

what is grey matter

A

Grey matter is a type of tissue in your brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) that plays a crucial role in allowing you to function normally from day to day. It consists of high concentrations of neuronal bodies, axon terminals (endings) and dendrites.

41
Q

who did the tibetan monks study

A

davidson

42
Q

ps of davidson’s study

A

8 practitioners of tibetan meditation compared with 10 student volunteers with no previous experience of meditation

43
Q

how was data collected in davidsons study

A

both groups were fitted with electrical sensors and asked to meditate for short periods

44
Q

findings of davidsons study

A

the electrodes picked up much greater activation of gamma waves(which coordinate neuron activity) in the monks

students only showed a slight increase in gamma wave activity while meditating

45
Q

conclusions of davidsons study

A

meditation not only changes the brain short tem but may produce permanent changes as the monks had far more gamma wave activity than the control group even before they started meditating

46
Q

limitation of davidsons study

A

had volunteers

has ccv

47
Q

what is functional recovery

A

refers to the recovery abilities and mental processes that have been compromised or lost as a result of brain injury or disease

refers to the brains ability to change and adapt, only after brain damage

48
Q

functional recovery can be achieved as a result of ….. through ….. and …..

A

bp through neural reorganisation (rewiring) and neural regeneration

49
Q

what are some types of brain truama that can result in a loss of function

A

physical trauma eg blows/missle wounds to the skull and brain

viral or bacterial infections that destroy brain tissue

stroke (cerebral haemorrhage or cerebral ischaemia

50
Q

what can trigger neural reorganisation

A

neural regeneration

51
Q

how are stems cells used for neural regeneration

A

by implanting them into damaged areas they have the potential to grow into neurons and make functional synaptic connections that help restore brain functions

52
Q

3 ways that would stem cells work to provide treatment for tbi

A

by directly replacing dead or dying cells

transplanted stem cells may secrete growth factors that rescue/rejuvenate the damaged cells

transplanted cells form a neural network which links uninjured brain site with the damaged region of the brain

53
Q

what is the evidence for role of stem cells in neural regeneration

A

tarjiri RANDOMLY assinged rats with TBI to one of two groups. 1 received transplanted stem cells into the region affected by tbi
control received a solution diffused into the brain with NO STEM CELLS

3 months after tbi, 1 had development of neuron like cells in area or injury and solid streamof stem cells migrating to site of injury

none of this for 2

54
Q

what are dormant synapses

A

synapses that exist anatomically but their function is blocked as they arent sufficiently stimulated/rate of neural input is too low to be activated

55
Q

what happens to dormant synapses when the surrounding area becomes damaged

A

the rate of input increases unmasking the synapses

56
Q

what happens when synapses are unmasked: opens connections to regions of the brain that…

A

opens connections to regions of the brain that are not normally activated creating a lateral spread of activation which over time allows development of new structures

57
Q

what are the 2 structural changes that support neural unmasking

A

axonal sprouting from surviving neurons
recruitment of homologous areas

58
Q

what is axonal sprouting

A

when axons of surviving neurons grow new branches that make synapses in areas of the brain formerly supplied by the damaged neuronsw

59
Q

what is the recruitment of homologous areas

A

rain behaviour becomes active in the equivalent part of the brain on the opposite hemisphere, enabling neural reorganisation and functional recovery

60
Q

what does CIT stand for

A

constraint induced therapy

61
Q

CIT suggests that the practice of a skill….

A

that has been affected by brain damage may lead to significiant improvement

observed improvement was due to reorganisation of cortical networks

62
Q

what are the 2 factors affecting functional recovery

A

age and cognitive reserve

63
Q

what age does the brain mature

A

around age 25

64
Q

what is the view that links b/fp with age

A

functional plasticity reduces with age

65
Q

what did elbert conclude: capacity for neural reorganisation

A

is much greater in children than in adults

66
Q

what is elberts conclusions demonstrated by: the extended

A

the extended practice adults require in order to produce changes

67
Q

participants of teuber

A

soldiers with brain damage
in 2 groups: under 20 and over 26

68
Q

teuber conclusion

A

recovery from movement and visual problems in adulthood was age dependent

axonal sprouting and reorganisation may be more extensive in the younger brain

bp and fr is possible in adults

69
Q

teuber findings

A

60% in under 20 groups showed significant improvement whereas only 20% in over 26 group showed similar recovery

70
Q

limitation of teuber: “brain damage”

A

to what extent was the brain damage of the ps (participant variables/differences)

they could differ due to physiological and psychological trauma confounded with length of service and this could impact recovery

PTSD could also affect recovery

71
Q

limitation of teuber: sample

A

the groups had very different age range (small vs big) which makes it difficult to compare results as you cant separate age from other factors in predicting recovery

72
Q

can you establish c+e in tuebers study and why

A

no because it was a quasi experiment and there were several uncontrolled variables

73
Q

what did kapar find

A

recovery after brain damage was better in docotrs than in the general public

74
Q

When Patricia Neal had a stroke, damaging her left hemisphere, what abilities did she lose?

A

The ability to move the right hand side of her body

The ability to understand and produce speech

75
Q

what is functional recovery

A

when a function is transferred from a damage region to an undamaged brain region

When a function is regained after brain damage, because it is transferred from the damaged brain region to an undamaged brain region.

76
Q

what are the three mechanisms for functional recovery

A

synapse strengthening
rewiring
unmmasking neuronal connections

77
Q

Normally, a nerve impulse is only triggered in the post-synaptic neuron if multiple EPSPs…

A

summate

78
Q

what can neurons do to increase the amount of nerve impulses

A

increase the amount neurotransmitters release

increase number of receptors on post synaptic neurone so more charged particles enter post synaptic neurone

79
Q

what is synapse strengthening

A

when the likelihood of nerve impulses being transmitted between two neurones increases

80
Q

which synapses are strengthened

A

the ones near the area of the brain damage

81
Q

what is rewiring

A

Axons from brain regions that used to communicate with the damaged region rewire to form connections with nearby brain regions.

when neurones they werent already connected to

.new neuron connections are formed between two neurons that aren’t already connected.

82
Q

Describe two ways synapses can be strengthened, and how this affects the likelihood of nerve impulses being transmitted.

A

increase number of neurotransmitters released by presn, more NT bind to postsn= more charged particles into postsn

increase no of receptors available to pick up NT on postsn, more nt bind to postsr=more charged particles in postsn

both increase likelihood of nerve impulses being transmitted between the 2 neruones=synapse has been strengthened

83
Q
A

alevel psychology aqa (42 decks)

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