functional recovery after trauma

Question 1

what is meant by functional recovery

Answer 1

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

Question 2

what are dormant synapses

Answer 2

synaptic connections that exist anatomically but their function is blocked

Question 3

explain neuronal unmasking

Answer 3

• dormant synapses unmasked when a surrounding brain area becomes damaged
• this unmasking can open connections to regions of the brain that are not normally activated, creating a lateral spread of activation which gives way to the development of new structures

Question 4

describe what happens in the brain during recovery

Answer 4

• AXON SPROUTING - new nerve endings grow and connect with undamaged areas
• REFORMATION OF BLOOD VESSELS
• RECRUITMENT OF HOMOLOGOUS AREAS on the opposite hemisphere to do specific tasks

Question 5

what are stem cells

Answer 5

unspecialised cells that have the potential to give rise to different cell types that carry out different functions

Question 6

how can stem cells be used to provide treatments for brain damage

Answer 6

• stem cells implanted directly into the brain replace dead/dying cells
• transplants cells secrete growth factors that rescue damaged cells
• transplanted cells create a network linking an uninjured brain site to a damaged region

Question 7

EVALUATION
research support from animal studies

Answer 7

• rats randomly allocated to a group
• one group received transplants of stem cells into the region of the brain affected by traumatic injury
• control group received solution with no stem cells
• after 3 months, brains of stem cell rats showed development of neuron-like cells in area of injury which was not the case with control group
• suggests stem cell treatment potentially highly effective at encouraging functional recovery after trauma

Question 8

EVALUATION
age differences in functional recovery

Answer 8

• studies suggest that abilities thought to be fixed in childhood can still be modified in adulthood with intense training
• despite these indications of adult plasticity, it’s concluded that capacity for neural reorganisation is much greater in children than in adults as shown by extended practice adults need in order to produce changes