Brain Plasticity and Functional Recovery

Question 1

What does Brain Plasticity mean

Answer 1

The brain’s ability to change and adapt as a result of experience

Question 2

What is functional recovery

Answer 2

Moving functions from a damaged area of the brain after trauma to other undamaged areas

Question 3

How do neural pathways work

Answer 3

Life experience changes they, with those used frequently developing stronger connections and those that are rarely or never used eventually dying

Question 4

What happens to cognitive functioning with age

Answer 4

There is a natural decline in functioning with age, which can be attributed to changes in the brain

Question 5

How do humans adapt to changing environments

Answer 5

By developing new connections, and removing weak ones, the brain is able to constantly adapt to changing environments

Question 6

Why did Boyke study six year olds

Answer 6

Boyke found evidence of brain plasticity in six year olds who were taught juggling, however, when practise stopped these changes were reversed

Question 7

How were the effects of video games on brain plasiticity tested

Answer 7

They have many complex cognitive and motor demands. Kuhn et al compared a control group with a video game training group who trained for two months for at least 30 mins a day on Super Mario.

Question 8

What did Kuhn et al find from their video game study

Answer 8

Significant increasing grey matter in various brain areas including the cereberal cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum. This increase was not evident in the control group that did not place Super Mario. Researchers concluded that video game training had resulted in new synaptic connections in brain areas involved spatial navigation, strategic planning, working memory and motor performance

Question 9

How was the effects of meditation on Brain plasiticity tested

Answer 9

Research by Davidson et al compared 8 practisioners of Tibetan meditation with 10 student volunteers who had no previous meditation experience. Both groups were made to meditate for short periods with sensors attached.

Question 10

What did Davidson find from their study

Answer 10

The electrodes picked up much greater gamma wave activity in the monks. These are important as they coordinate neuron activity. The students showed only a slight increase in gama wave activity while meditating. Researchers concluded that meditation may not only change the brain in the short term but may cause permianent changes as the monks had four times more gamma wave activity than the control group even before they started meditating

Question 11

What are the two mechanisms the brain has to recover functionality after trauma

Answer 11

Neuronal Unmasking and Stem cells

Question 12

What is Neuronal Unmasking

Answer 12

Wall identified ‘dominant synapses’, which are synaptic connections that exist anatomically but their functions are blocked. Under normal conditions neural input is too low for them to be activated, but increasing the rates of input into these synapses, such as following trauma, can open or unmask these dormant synapses. This can open connections to regions of the brain not normally activated, creating a lateral spread of activation which in time gives way to the development of new structures

Question 13

How can stem cells cause functional recovery

Answer 13

Stem cells are 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. There a 3 views of how stems cells may aid functional recovery (on another slide)

Question 14

What are the three way that stem cells may aid functional recovery

Answer 14

1 - They could be directly implanted into the brain and directly replace dead or dying cells
2 - Implanted stem cells secrete growth factors that somehow rescue the injured cells
3 -Transplanted cells form a neural network, which links an uninjured brain like, where new stem cells are made, with the damaged region of the brain

Question 15

How have animal studies supported the presence of brain plasticity

Answer 15

Kempermann et al suggested that an enriched environment could grow the number of neurons in the brain. They found evidence of an increased number of new neurons in the brains of rats housed complex environments compared to rats housed in laboratory cages

Question 16

Where did Kempermann’s rats show a particular increase in neurons

Answer 16

In the hippocampus, a part of the brain associated with the formation of new memories and the ability to navigate from one location to another.

Question 17

Who put rats in a maze to grow their brains

Answer 17

Kempermann

Question 18

How did a study of taxi drivers show evidence of brain plasticity in humans

Answer 18

Maguire et al studied london taxi drivers and discovered that changes in the brain could be detected as a result of extensive experience of spatial navigation.

Question 19

How was Maguire’s study conducted

Answer 19

They used an MRI scanner to calculate the amount of grey matter in the brains of taxi drivers and a set of control participants.

Question 20

What were the findings of Maguire’s study

Answer 20

The posterior hippocampi of taxi drivers were significantly larger compared to those of control participants and posterior hippocampal volume was positively correlated to amount of time spent as taxi driver

Question 21

Who did a study on london cabbies

Answer 21

Maguire

Question 22

How have animal studies been used to support functional recovery

Answer 22

Tajiri provided evidence of the role of stem cells by having a group of rats with traumatic brain injuries either given transplants of stem cells into the region of the brain affected by traumatic injury, or a solution infused into the brain containing no stem cells. Three months later the brains of stem cell rats showed a clear development of neuron-like cells in the area of injury, as well as a solid stream of stem cells migrating to the injury point. Not in control group

Question 23

Who decided to give rats traumatic brain injuries to prove that stem cells are important

Answer 23

Tajiri

Question 24

What has more recent research suggested about adult brain plasticity

Answer 24

It is commonly accepted that functional plasticity reduces with age. With this view the only option following traumatic injury post childhood is to develop behavioural strategies to work around the defecit. However, studies have suggested that even abilities commonly thought to be fixed in childhood can still be modified in adults with intense retraining. Despite this, Ebert et al conclude that the capacity for neural reorganization is much greater in children than adults, as demonstrated by the extended practice that adults require in order to produce changes

Question 25

Who concluded that adults have poor capacity for neural reorginisation

Answer 25

Ebert et al