Chapter 4 - 'Impact Of Injury To The Cerebral Cortex And Adaptive Plasticity'

Question 1

Difference between sudden and insidious onset?

Answer 1

Sudden happens quite quickly .

Insidious occurs over time.

Question 2

What is a neurodegenerative disease?

Give an example of two.

Answer 2

A disease characterised by the progressive decline in structure, activity and function of brain tissue.

Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s.

Question 3

How many Australians have a brain injury?

Answer 3

Over 700,000

3/4ths under 65

Question 4

The most common acquired brain injury is a?

Occurs when?

Answer 4

Stroke.
Occurs when a blood vessel bursts iris clogged by a blood clot.
This leads to blood deprived brain tissue, causing the cells to die within minutes.

Question 5

What is the next largest acquired brain injury?.

Give an example?

Answer 5

Traumatic brain injury
A blow is taken to the head and the brain slams against the inner skull wall. Suffers bruising, twisting and may become swollen.

Question 6

Who suffered a pole through the frontal lobes?

Answer 6

Phineas Gage

Question 7

Describe the events that shortly followed?

Answer 7

His body began to shake uncontrollably.

Within minutes he was reported sitting up and talking to people near him.

Question 8

What types of changes do those experience when the frontal lobes are damaged?

Answer 8

Biological changes.
Psychological changes.
Social changes.

Question 9

Give examples of the biological changes?

Answer 9

Problems with motor activities.
Facial expressions blank.
Reflexes evident in early infancy may re appear, such as grasping hand reflex.

Question 10

Give examples of the psychological changes?

Answer 10

Lack of apathy.
Impulsive behaviour.
Inability to plan activities or foresight.

Question 11

Summarise what the lobotomy was?

Who was this performed on?

Answer 11

Surgical procedure by Egaz Moniz, involving the severing of the nerve fibers within the frontal lobes .

Patients who would be described as being controlled by their emotions.

Question 12

“He shaved only one side of his face”
“Removes a word from compound words, e.g football becomes ball, birthday becomes birth.
What does this signify?

Answer 12

Spatial neglect

Question 13

Special neglect, AKA?

What does spatial neglect do?

Answer 13

AKA hemispatial neglect.

Patients are unable to notice anything on either the right or left side.

Question 14

Brain injury that occurs after birth is referred to as?

Give an example.

Answer 14

Acquired brain injury.

Infection (meningitis)
Brain inflammation (encephalitis)

Question 15

The ability of the brain to change in response to experience, this is known as?

AKA

Answer 15

Brain plasticity or AKA neuroplasticity.

Question 16

Neurons and their connections can be modified as a result of?

3 things?

Answer 16

During development when we are young.
During learning throughout our entire lives.
Sometimes in response to brain injury.

Question 17

The brain can reorganise and reassign its neutral connections and pathways based on which parts are…

The structure is remodelled by…

Answer 17

Overused, underused or injured.

Everyday life experiences and environmental demands.

Question 18

How do genes and experience differ in brain development?

Answer 18

Our genes govern the overall architecture of our brain though experience guides, sustains and maintains the details.

Question 19

If a monkey is made to press a button 10000 times a day, the brain tissue will…

Answer 19

Adapt to reflect that experience.

Question 20

Why do infants tend to learn languages faster than adults?

Answer 20

The greater plasticity of their brain.

Question 21

What is adaptive plasticity?

Answer 21

The ability of the brain to compensate for lost function in the event of brain injury.

Question 22

Give an example when adaptive plasticity may occur?

Speed of recovery for this example of an adult?

Answer 22

After a stroke

1-2 years for an adult

Question 23

What does the effectiveness of adaptive plasticity depend on?

Answer 23

Location of injury, degree of damage and age at which it was sustained.

Question 24

Adaptive plasticity enables the brain to compensate by…?

Answer 24

Reorganising its structure.

Question 25

Two important processes for recovery are?

Answer 25

Rerouting and sprouting

Question 26

What is rerouting?

Answer 26

The process in which an undamaged neurons that have lost connections with an active neuron seek a new active neuron and connect with it instead.

Question 27

What is sprouting?

Answer 27

The growth of additional branches on axons or dendrites to enable new connections.

Question 28

Give an example of a situation where rerouting or sprouting occurs?

Answer 28

Rehabilitation of stroke victims, relearning previously performed tasks again.

Question 29

After an event of injury or loss of a specific part of the brain, the function can sometimes be…

Answer 29

Reassigned to other undamaged areas of the brain to compensate.

Question 30

What is the phantom limb syndrome?

Give a summary.

Answer 30

When a limb or part of a limb is removed such as a fore arm, sensations from the missing limb can still be perceived.