brain plasticity and brain recovery

Question 1

What does plasticity refer to?

Answer 1

Brain’s tendency to change and adapt (functionally and physically) as a result of experience and new learning.

Question 2

What is functional recovery ?

Answer 2

form of plasticity the brain’s ability to distribute or redistribute functions after trauma

Question 3

What is the concept of synaptic pruning?

Answer 3

as we age, rarely used connections are deleted and frequently used connections are strengthened

Question 4

what is axonal sprouting?

Answer 4

the stronger connections of those nerve pathways that are used frequently

Question 5

AIM maguire study

Answer 5

Investigating the brains of London taxi drivers (who knew routes) found significantly more grey matter in the posterior hippocampus compared to a matched control group.

Question 6

Procedure Maguires study

Answer 6

• 16 taxi drivers able to navigate without a map
• Mean age 44
• 14 yr+ taxi experience
• Control group - 50 non taxi drivers
• Quasi experiment → IV occurred naturally MRI scans used to monitor changes in matched pair designs to observe changes in the hippocampi

Question 7

What part of the brain did Maguire research?

Answer 7

hippocampus

Question 8

Hippocampus function

Answer 8

memory

Question 9

Maguire’s research - Findings

Answer 9

Longer driven = increased grey matter of right posterior hippocampus

Question 10

Maguire’s study conclusions

Answer 10

Support the notion that there are structural differences of hippocampi between those learning and those not, changes were relative to the period of time that the taxi drivers had been driving.

• Changes relative to the period of time that the taxi drivers had been driving

Question 11

strengths of Maguire’s research

Answer 11

• MRI scans - scientific credibility - vast quantities of data overtime to see trends
• Replicable - standardised procedure
• Quasi - high internal validity
• High explanatory power - understanding of plasticity

Question 12

Maguire’s study limitations

Answer 12

• Ethnocentric sample - UK based → not representative of other cultures - lacks Population validity
• Highly skilled sample&raquo_space; unable to be generalised to all

Question 13

Video games study

Answer 13

compared a control group with a video training group (2 months of 30 mins a day) super mario
Findings - found a significant increase in grey matter in various brain areas - cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum → this increase not evident in the control group

Conclusions - video game training had resulted in new synaptic connections in brain areas involved in spatial navigation, strategic planning,working memory - skills in the game

Question 14

What are the ways the brain recovers ?

Answer 14

1. stem cells
2. dormant synapses (neuronal unmasking)

Question 15

What are stem cells?

Answer 15

unspecialised cells that have the potential to give rise to different cell types that carry out different functions including taking on the characteristics of nerve cells.

Question 16

What are the three ways stem cells can restore brain function?

Answer 16

1) Stem cells implanted into the brain would directly replace dead or dying cells

2) Transplanted stem cells secrete growth factors that ‘rescue/ repair’ the injured cells

3) Transplanted cells created a pathway around the damage - rerouting the communication to an uninjured area which could take over the function

Question 17

What does brain recovery mean?

Answer 17

• Regenerative developments in brain function occurs from the brain’s plasticity ( its ability to change structurally and functionally following trauma)
• The brain is able to rewire and re-organise itself by forming new synaptic connections in the damaged area

Question 18

What is a dormant synapse?

Answer 18

Synaptic connections that exist anatomically but their function is blocked

Question 19

How do dormant synapses and neuronal unmasking restore brain function?

Answer 19

• When a brain region is damage the signals that would have gone through it can be ‘rerouted’ through dormant synapses
• This means neural communication can continue even after the damage so abilities can be recovered

Question 20

what three processes support neuronal unmasking?

Answer 20

• axonal sprouting
• reformation of blood vessels
• Recruitment of homologous areas

Question 21

axonal sprouting

Answer 21

the growth of new nerve endings which connect with other undamaged nerve cells to form new neural pathways

Question 22

Recruitment if homologous areas

Answer 22

• on opposite sides of the brain perform specific tasks - but after time it may shift back

Question 23

What does the term plasticity mean?

Answer 23

The brains ability to physically and functionally adapt in response to trauma,new experience and learning

Question 24

What is functional recovery?

Answer 24

the ability od the brain to transfer functions of damaged brain areas to other regions to allow for normal functioning

Question 25

Is a full recovery always possible?

Answer 25

recovery is not always complete (eg the man who cycled without a helmet) and depends on the extent and location of damage and the level of subsequent care (eg physiotherapy)

Question 26

Do childrens brains adapt better than adults?

Answer 26

research supports Xavier’s belief that young brains are more plastic – neural reorganisation is greater in children than adults

Question 27

What is meant by structural changes of recovery?

Answer 27

structural changes supporting neuronal unmasking such as axonal sprouting, reformation of blood
vessels, denervation super-sensitivity and recruitment of homologous areas