Lecture 17: Recovery Flashcards
Factors influencing the potential for sparing or recovery
Nature of damage, age, experience
Why do people recover?
- Redundancy
- Sprouting
- Synaptic changes (silent synapses, resolution of diaschisis, denervation sensitivity, synaptic hyper effectiveness)
- Functional reorganization of brain
- Activity related changes in NT release
- Pharmacological interventions
- other non-neuraological reasons
What is neuroplasticity?
Ability of neurons to change their function, chemical profile or structure. This is essential for recovery from damage to CNS
What is essential for recovery from damage to CNS?
Neuroplasticity
What is collateral sprouting?
When axons of neighboring neurons reinnervate a denervated target
What is regenerative sprouting?
When an axon and its target cell have been damaged and injured neuron grows a sprout which connects it to a new target
When axons of neighboring neurons reinnervate a denervated target?
Collateral sprouting
What are different types of synaptic changes?
- Unmasking silent synapse
- Resolution of diaschisis: functional standstill or abolition of electrical activity in areas surrounding or related to damaged part of system (return to synaptic effectiveness)
- Denervation hypersensitivity (presynaptic axon terminals are destroyed and new receptor sites develop on postsynaptic membrane
- Synaptic hypereffectiveness (when only some branches of presynpatic axon are destroyed and those remaining branches receive all of NT that would normally be shared among terminals (all 6 go into 1 terminal.
How does functional reorganization of brain helps with recovery?
Cortical areas routinely adjust the way they process information and changes at individual synapses reorganize the brain (areas of brain can be modified by sensory input, experience).
How does activity related changes in NT Release in brain helps with recovery?
Under stimulation of sensory cortex can cause the cortex to become more responsive to weak sensory input
How does pharmacological interventions help with recovery?
Medications dissolve blood clots, effects of secondary damage
Why is it important to have enriched environment and social support?
Synaptic changes, protection against loss of cortical cells or other regions, early rehab is key to improved recovery
What are some non-nuerological reasons for recovery?
Personality, motivation, drive, social support
Some things to remember about recovery…
It is possible! Prognosis varies. Early intervention makes a difference.
Lesions in Right Hemisphere causes…
language deficits (aprosodia), constructional apraxia, spatial relationships (perceptual abilities), agnosia
