Plasticity and Functional Recovery Flashcards
What is brain plasticity?
The brains ability to change and adapt because of experience
What is functional recovery?
The transfers of functions from a damaged area of the brain to other undamaged areas
What test did Maguire et al do?
Taxi driver test
What was the aim of the taxi driver test?
To examine whether structural changes could be detected in people with experience of spatial navigation
How were the taxi drivers tested?
Through MRI scans, 16 right handed male London taxi drivers, 50 other men
What were the results of Maguire’s test?
- Increase grey matter in taxi divers (in posterior hippocampus)
- Correlation found between time spent as taxi driver and volumes of grey matter
What was the conclusion of Maguires test?
Supports idea of brain plasticity, can change structure (enlarged hippocampus)
What is neuronal unmasking?
Where ‘dormant’ synapses open connections to compensate for a nearby damaged area of the brain
What is axonal sprouting?
The growth of new nerve endings which connect with other undamaged nerve cells to form new neural pathways
What is recruitment of homologous areas?
A similar area of the brain on the opposite side is used to perform a specific task
What did Marquez de la Plata find?
Following brain trauma, older patients (40+) regained less function in treatment than younger patients
What did Ratcliffe find?
Women performs significantly better than men on tests of attention/working memory and language. Men outperformed females in visual analytic skills
What are 2 evaluation points?
- Supports idea of brain plasticity
- Application of findings to the field of neurorehabilitation
