Plasticity and functional recovery

Question 1

What is brain plasticity?

Answer 1

-Refers to the brains ability to adapt, change, develop overtime from new learning
-occurs by reorganising existing pathways or by establishing new neural pathways/connections

Question 2

When does brain plasticity occur?

Answer 2

-At a young age where the connections between are neurons adapt and develop at a significant rate.
-Does not stop at a young age continues to change adapt and change from experiences and information.

Question 3

What happens when we experience something new?

Answer 3

Brain learns this information and then reorganises existing neural pathways and or by making new connections which is possible due to its plasticity.

Question 4

What is functional recovery?

Answer 4

is the transfer of functions from a damaged area of the brain after trauma, to other undamaged areas.

Question 5

What are synaptic connections?

Answer 5

The places where neurons connect and communicate with each other are called synapses.

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Question 6

What is neuronal masking?(refers to possible mechanisms of functional recovery)

Answer 6

Where ‘dormant synapses’(synaptic connections between neuron’s that exist structurally,but their function is dormant/inactive) ‘open’ their connections to enable a nearby(damaged) region to continue its function.

Question 7

What is axonal sprouting?(refers to possible mechanisms of functional recovery)

Answer 7

Growth of new nerve endings which connect with other undamaged never cells to form neuronal pathways

Question 8

What is recruitment of homologous areas?(refers to the possible mechanisms of functional recovery)

Answer 8

Brain uses similar and already existing structures/neural pathways on the opposite hemisphere,to replace the function of the pathway which was being undertaken by the damaged hemisphere.

Question 9

What are factors influencing functional recovery after brain trauma?

Answer 9

Perseverance
Age-younger brains recover more effectively than older brains as they are more ‘plastic’ e.g Elbert concluded capacity for neural recovery is much greater in children than in adults,meaning that neural degeneration is less effective in older brains.
Gender-It is argued that women recover better after trauma as their brains are less lateralised,and can therefore transfer functions across hemispheres more easily,compared to males (Godard and Fiori,2010)