plasticity Flashcards
what is brain plasticity?
the brains tendency to change and adapt. new new neural connections are formed due to learning and experience.
As we age rarely used connections are deleted and frequently used connections are strengthened. this is synpatic pruning.
what is synaptic pruning?
As we age rarely used connections are deleted and frequently used connections are strengthened. this is synpatic pruning.
what was the procedure of maguires research?
maguire investigated differences in brain structure between london taxi drivers and non taxi drivers
both groups consisted of right handed males. they had been working in the roll for more than1.5 years.
MRI scans were taken of the taxi and non taxi drivers. the amount of grey area in the posterior and anterior hippocampus was measured. single blind was in place for researchers analysing the scans
what were the findings of maguires research?
a larger volume of grey matter was found in the posterior hippocampus of taxi drivers
this area is thought to be important in spatial awareness and navigation
the longer the p had been a taxi driver the larger the difference in grey matter
what is grey matter?
an area of showing a large number of neurons present
what are the conculsions of maguires research?
we can conclude that working as a taxi driver changes brain structure in the posterior hippocampus
this supports the concept of neural plasticity
why does maguires research have high internal validity?
bias is reduced due to the use of a single blind procedure- the researchers didnt know whether they were looking at a taxi drivers or non taxi drivers brain scan
FMRI scanning techniques which lead to objective measurements
all were right handed as a measure of control and consistency
what are the practical applications of maguires research?
our understanding of brain plasticity has led to neurorehabilitation techniques which encourage the brains of stroke patients to form new connections so they can recover functions
why does maguires research lack external validity?
lacks population validity
small sample of only males so it lacks generalisability to females
why does maguires research lack cause and effect?
correlational only
we cant be certain that their time as a taxi driver has caused the changes to the hippocampus it could be a third variable unrelated to taxi driving
what is hubel and weisels research on plasticity?
sewed one eye of a kitten shut and analysed the brains cortical responses. it was found that the visual cortex associated with the shut eye was not dormant but continued to process information from the open eye
how does hubel and wiesel support plasticity ?
this is early evidence of neuroplasticity and functional recovery as it showed that the brain is plastic and restructures itself to work as efficiently as possible
e.g when sensory input stops coming from 1 visual field
how does phantom limb syndrome support plasticity?
the unpleasant and painful symptoms of phantom limb could be due to cortical reorganisation in the somatosensory area
how does kuhn et al support plasticity?
found a significant increase in grey mater in various regions of the brain after participants played video games for 30 minutes a day over a two month period.
the study highlights the idea of plasticity and the brains ability to adapt as a result of new experience
davidson et al - support for plasticity
demonstrated the permanent change in brain generated by prolonged meditation.
bhuddist monks who meditated frequently had a much greater activation of gamma waves which coordinate neural activity. than did students with no experience of meditation. the study highlights the idea of plasticity and the brains ability to adapt as a result of new experience
