Plasticity and Functional Recovery Flashcards
Plasticity
Brains ability to alter its synaptic connections as a result of experience
Synaptic pruning
Rarely ued connection are deleted and frequently used are strengthened
Maguire et al
London taxi drivers more grey matter volume in posterior hippocampus than control + +/ve correlation between time as a taxi driver and size of posterior hippocampus
= supports plasticity as experience changes brain
Maguire et al AO3 -
Only able to pass ‘the knowledge’ due to different brain
Draganski et al
Med students before and after final exam and found changed in size of posterior hippocampus and parietal cortex
= supports plasticity
Draganski et al AO3 +
Ppts act as own control
Functional recovery
plasticity related to recovery from brain injury
- spontaneous recovery quickly after trauma
Types of functional recovery
- axonal sprouting
- denervation supersensitivty
- recruitment of homologous areas
Axonal sprouting
Growth of new nerve endings connect with other undamaged cells to form new neuron pathways
Denervation supersensitivity
Similiar axons arouse at higher level to make up for ones lost
Recruitment of homologous areas
Equivalent area on opposite hemisphere used to perform affected function
AO3 + age
BEZZOLA ET AL - 40 hours of golf training increases motor cortex activity in 40 - 60 year old ppts
AO3 + application
Neurorehabilitation
- spontaneous recovery slows down after a few weeks to physical therapy required to improve functioning
AO3 - maladaptive consequences
60 -80% amputees have phantom limb syndrome due to cortical reorganisation in somatosensory cortex
AO3 - related to cognitive reserve
SCHNEIDER ET AL - 40% pt who achieved diability free recovery had more than 16yrs in education compared to 10% with less that 12 years of eduction
