Functional recovery

Question 1

What is functional recovery?

Answer 1

• a form of plasticity. Following damage through trauma, the brains ability to redistribute or transfer functions usually performed by a damaged areas to undamaged areas

Question 2

What is spontaneous recovery?

Answer 2

• this is when functional recovery occurs quickly after trauma and slows down after several weeks or months.
• At this point, the individual may require rehabilitative therapy to further their recovery

Question 3

What is the process of brain recovery?

Answer 3

• the brain is able to rewire and reorganise itself by forming new synaptic connections close to the area of damage
• secondary neural pathways that may not be typically used are activated to enable functioning

Question 4

What are the different structural changes in the brain?

Answer 4

• Axonal sprouting
• Denervation supersensitivity
• Recruitment of homologous areas on the opposite side of the brain

Question 5

What is axonal sprouting?

Answer 5

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

Question 6

What is denervation supersensitivity?

Answer 6

• this 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 be negative and cause oversensitivity to things like pain

Question 7

What is the recruitment of homologous areas on the opposite sides of the brain?

Answer 7

• This means that specific tasks can be carried out by the opposite side of the brain
• for example, if brocas area was damaged, the right side equivalent would carry out its functions

Question 8

What is a strength?

Answer 8

• real - world applications.
• understanding the process involved in plasticity has contributed to the field of neurorehabilitation
• simply understanding that axonal growth encourages new therapies to be tried.
• For example, constraint - induced therapy is used with stroke paitents where repeatedly practicing the affected part of the body while the unaffected is restrained
• This shows functional recovery is useful as it helps medical professionals

Question 9

What is a limitation of functional recovery?

Answer 9

• a limitation of functional recovery is that level of education may influence recovery rates.
• Eric Schneider revealed that the more people with a brain injury had spent in education, (cognitive reserve), the greater their chances of a disability - free recovery
• 40% of those DFR had more than 16 years of education compared to 10% of those who had less than 12 years of education
• This implies that people with brain damage who have insufficent cognitive reserves may not make a full functional recovery