functional recovery Flashcards
functional recovery definition
a form of plasticity. following damage through brain trauma, the brain’s ability to redistribute or transfer functions usually performed by a damaged area/areas to other undamaged area/areas
what can happen after physical injury or other forms of trauma such as a stroke
unaffected area of the brain are often able to adapt and compensate for those areas that are damaged.
what is functional recovery an example of
neural plasticity
what is functional recovery
where healthy brain areas take over the functions of those area that are damaged, destroyed or even missing.
how have neuroscientists suggested that functional recovery occurs
quickly after the trauma (spontaneous recovery) and the slow down after several weeks or months. at this point the individual may require rehabilitative therapy to further their recovery
what happens during functional recovery of the brain
the brain is able to rewire and reorganise itself by forming new synaptic connections which are close to the area of damage. secondary neural pathways that would typically not be used to carry out certain function are activated to enable the function to continue. this is supported by a number of structural changes in the brain
what are the 3 structural changes to the brain during functional recovery
-axonal sprouting
-denervation supersensitive
-recruitment of homologous area
what is axonal sprouting
the growth of new nerve endings which connect with other undamaged nerve cells to forms new neural pathways
what is denervation supersensitivity
occurs when axons that do a similar job become aroused to a higher level to compensate for the ones that are lost. however, it can have negative consequence of oversensitivity to messages such as pain
strength of functional recovery- real-world application
-understanding the processes involved in plasticity has contributed to the field of neurorehabilitation. simply understanding that axonal growth is possible encourages new therapies to be tried. for example constraint-induced movement therapy is used with stroke patients whereby they repeatedly practice using the affected part of their body ( for example an arm) where the unaffected arm is restrained –> shows research into functional recovery is useful as it helps medical professionals know when interventions need to be made
limitation of functional recovery- cognitive reserve
-education level may influence peoples recovery rates
-Schneider at al (2014) revealed that the more time people with a brain injury has spent in education (which is taken as an indication of their cognitive reserve), the greater the chances of a disability free recovery (DFR). 40% with a DFR had more than 16 years of education compared to 20% with less than 12 years of education –> implies that people with brain damage who have an insufficient DFR are less likely to achieve a full recovery
evaluation of functional recovery- small samples
-research is ongoing for new treatments to aid functional recover. for example, a study by Baneriee et al (2014) treated people who had a total anterior circulation stroke (TACS) with stem cells. all participants in this trial recovered compared to the more typical 4% recovery
-however, this study drew conclusions based on just 5 participants and no control group, which is fairly typical of research on functional recovery
