Brain Plasticity Flashcards
what is brain plasticity?
refers to the brains ability to function and physically change and adapt due to new learning and experiences
when do the brain changes occur throughout life?
infancy
2-3 years old
adulthood
what brain change occurs during infancy?
brain experience rapid growth in synaptic connections
what brain change occurs during ages 2-3?
number of syn con peaks at 15k
how many synaptic connections do we have during adulthood?
7.5k due to synaptic pruning
what is synaptic pruning?
rarely used synaptic connection deleted and freq used ones are strengthened
what 3 pieces of research must we remember in brain plastcity?
Gopnik et al
Maguire et al
Draginski et al
what did Gopnik say?
brain is like plastic and can change seen through 2-3 years brain change
Gopnik et al states that _____ _____ allows _____ ________
synaptic pruning enables lifelong plasticity
Gopnik et al says that new neural connections are formed in response to…
new demands
what did Maguire et al say about taxi drivers?
significant volume of grey matter in posterior hippocampus
what is the posterior hippocampus involved in in Maguire’s research?
involved with development of spatial and navigational skills in humans and animals
Maguire also found that the longer…
someone has been a taxi driver, the more pronounced the structural difference is showing a positive correlation
what did Draginski et al study?
brain scans in medical student 3 months before and after final exams
what were the results of Draginski et al’s study?
learning induced changes in posterior hippocampus and parietal cortex due to result of exam
