PAPER 2 - BIOPSYCHOLOGY - functional recovery of the brain

Question 1

what is functional recovery?

Answer 1

the ability to recover abilities and mental processes that have been compromised or lost due to brain injury or disease

Question 2

how is functional recovery achieved?

Answer 2

achieved as a result of neural regeneration and neural reorganisation/rewiring

Question 3

what kinds of brain trauma can result in loss of function?

Answer 3

• physical trauma
• viral or bacterial infections
• stroke
• cerebral haemorrhage

Question 4

what are the mechanisms for functional recovery?

Answer 4

• neural regeneration
• neural reorganisation

Question 5

what is neural regeneration?

Answer 5

regrowth or repair of nervous tissues, cells or cell products

Question 6

what does neural regeneration include?

Answer 6

• axonal sprouting
• generation of new neurones (neurogenesis), axons, myelin

Question 7

what is neural reorganisation?

Answer 7

• transfer of functions to undamaged areas to allow functional recovery
• axonal sprouting allows reorganisation to happen

Question 8

what can neural reorganisation take place as a result of?

Answer 8

• synapse strengthening
• axonal sprouting
• neuronal unmasking

Question 9

what is axonal sprouting?

Answer 9

axons of surviving neurones grow new branches that make new synapses

Question 10

what is synapse strengthening?

Answer 10

damage to one brain region can result in synapses in nearby regions to become strengthened to allow these neurones to take on the functions of damaged brain region

Question 11

what is neuronal unmasking?

Answer 11

dormant synapses become unmasked if sufficiently stimulated

Question 12

what factors can influence recovery?

Answer 12

• age
• cognitive reserve

Question 13

what was the study by Teuber?

Answer 13

• Teuber studied soldiers with brain damage and found that recovery from movement and visual problems in adulthood was age dependent
• 60% of those under 20 showed significant improvement, but only 20% over 26 showed similar recovery
• therefore suggested that axonal sprouting and reorganisation may be extensive in younger brains

Question 14

what are the evaluation points for the Teuber study?

Answer 14

• shows brain plasticity can take but it is affected by age
• could be individual differences - brain damage may vary
• lots of research support
• cant establish cause and effect
• age range isn’t comparable (18-20 vs 26+)
• p’s could have multiple injuries
• stress hinders recovery

Question 15

what was the study by Schneider? (procedure and findings)

Answer 15

• found that patients with the equivalent of a college education are 7x more likely than those who didnt finish high school to be disability-free one year after a traumatic brain injury
• carried out a retrospective study based on previous data
• of the 769 patients, 214 achieved disability free recovery
• of these 39.2% patients with more than 16 years of education achieved DFR, as had 30.7% with 13-15 years of education
• 9.7% achieved DFR with less than 12 years of education
• shows cognitive reserve could be a factor affecting recovery

Question 16

what evaluation points are there for the study by Schneider?

Answer 16

• large study sample
• shows brain plasticity can take place
• individual differences
• lots of research support
• important factor for predicting recovery
• money/status could be a factor rather then education, cant establish c + e, affects likelihood of recovery