Neuroplasticity Flashcards
1
Q
What is neuroplasticity
A
- refers to the ability of the NS to change
- plasticity that occrs in the absence of injury is learning
- plasticity that occurs in response to injury is recovery
2
Q
What does neuroplasticity encompass
A
- habituation
- experience-dependent plasticity
- cellular recovery post injury
3
Q
What is habituation
A
- learned suppression of a response to a repeated non-noxious stimulus
- simplest form of neuroplasticity
4
Q
What happens when habituation occurs
A
- decrease in presynaptic activity
- decrease in release of excitatory NT
- decrease in free intracellular Ca++
- ie: clothing on skin
5
Q
What happens with habituation over time
A
will see structral changes over time
- decrease in number of synpatic connections
- decrease in number of receptors on post synpatic neurons
6
Q
Clinical examples of habituation and what they are
A
- vestibular rehab with UVH/BVH: learning to suppress the response
- tactile defensiveness: sensitive to things that are non-noxious (foot on carpet)
- amputation: getting use to a prosthetic by applying pressure there
7
Q
Learning and memory
A
- declarative and procedural learning requires awareness and attention
- procedural learning: involved cerebral cortex, cerebellum and basal ganglia
- declarative learning involved cerebral cortex and hippocampus
8
Q
Mechanisms of experience dependent learning
A
protein synthesis
- promotes growth of new synpatic connections
- alters neuron excitability
long term potentiation
- increased synpatic activity
- increased efficiency of cell firing
9
Q
Long term potentiation
A
- formation of new memories
- recovery after an injury
- may have negative effects such as chronic pain syndromes or aberrant learning (addictive behaviors)
- unmasking/conversion of silent synpases to active synpases
- structural changes in post-synaptic membrane
10
Q
Unmasking of silent synapses
A
- inactive synapes that are still there
- lack functional glutamate AMPA receptors
- mobile AMPA receptors cycle between cytoplasm and synpatic membrane attach to silent synapse to activate it
11
Q
LTP - unmasking of silent synpases
how does this happen
A
- Ca++ enters cell through channels assoicated with NMDA glutamate receptors
- results in insertion of AMPA receptors into memebrane
- new dendritic spine forms
- presynpatic new synpases form with learning
12
Q
morphological changes in cell LTP
A
- requires genetic alteration in neurons (during the learning process)
- Ca++ regulates gene activity
- nucleus contains Ca++ ion channels
- allows for changes in gene expression and changes that occur due to learning
13
Q
Astrocytes and experience dependent plasticity
A
- astrocytes increase their contact with neurons in enriched environments
- transmission of info through glia may be important in learning
- astrocytes can release gliotransmitters (like glutamate) to signal neighboring neurons
14
Q
Transcranial magnetic stimulation
A
- used to enhance or inhibit motor learning (LTP) and memory
- magnetic stimulation of local neurons
- effects can last several days
- may benefit CNS lesions
- TMS for depression as well
15
Q
Results of NS injury
A
- interruption of axonal projections from the injured area
- denervation of neurons innervated by injured neurons
- in CNS may get cascade of degeneration or anterograde transneuronal degeneration
- need proteins for learning
- with Diffuse TBI there is axonal injury which can cause quick axon degeneration
- survival of cytoplasm related to connection with nucleus otherwise degeneration occurs
- may cause atrophy or cell death