Brain Plasticity and Functional Recovery

Question 1

What is brain plasticity

Answer 1

refers to the brain’s ability to change and adapt because of experience

Question 2

what were the 3 researchers into plasticity

Answer 2

elbert et al, maguire et al and may

Question 3

what skill did elbert show

Answer 3

good finger dexterity in his left hand

Question 4

what brain reigon influences elberts good left hand finger dexterity

Answer 4

somatosensory coretx reigon is larger for left hand fingers than right

Question 5

how does elberts study show brain plasticity

Answer 5

brain adapts by recruiting neurons to help support finger control in the left hand

Question 6

what skill did maguire show

Answer 6

taxi drivers are required to memorise all of the london streets, they needed good ltm and spatial reasoning

Question 7

what brain reigon influences maguires good ltm and spatial reasoning

Answer 7

larger posterior hippocampus

Question 8

how does maguires study show brain plasticity

Answer 8

the longer amount of years spent as a taxi driver (the more experience) the more their hippocampus grows

Question 9

what skill did may show

Answer 9

how non juggelers spent 3 months learning how to juggle for at least 60 seconds

Question 10

what was Mays procedure

Answer 10

24 non jugglers, seperated into 12 as a control group and 12 who had to learn juggling, tested after 3 months and juggled for at least a minute

Question 11

what brain reigon influences mays study om juggling

Answer 11

changes to reigons specific to visualisation in the temporal lobe

Question 12

how does mays study show brain plasticity

Answer 12

the jugglers temporal lobe visualisation regions increased by 3% in volume and structual chnages had reversed partially

Question 13

what is a strength of brain plastcity

Answer 13

theres a lot of research support

Question 14

what is a limitation of brain plasticity in terms of age

Answer 14

elbert found that the capacity for neural reorganisation is much greater in kids than adults which shows how its less effective in older brains therefore making them more demading

Question 15

what is a limitation of brain plasticity in terms of bad experiences

Answer 15

negative behavioural consequences such as phantom limb syndrome (the continued sensationof a limb being there when its not)due to reorganisation of the somatosenorty coretx

Question 16

what is functional recovery

Answer 16

transfer of functions froma damaged area of the braun to the other undamaged areas

Question 17

whata re the 3 types of funtional recovery

Answer 17

.recruitment of homogolous areas
.axonal sprouting
.reformation of blood vessels

Question 18

what is recruitment of homologous series

Answer 18

using existing structures on the oppsoite hemisphere to enable a route to be used without having to build other networks

Question 19

what is axonal sprouting

Answer 19

growing new nerve endings to join undamaged neurons, creating new pathways

Question 20

what is reformation of blood vessels

Answer 20

supporting and reinforcing those new neural pathways with blood vessels and further improving this new pathways