Plasticity and Functional Recovery

Question 1

What is plasticity?

Answer 1

The brains tendency to change and adapt as a result of new experiences and learning

Question 2

What is functional recovery?

Answer 2

A form of plasticity following damage through trauma
The brain has the ability to redistribute or transfer functions from a damaged to an undamaged part of the brain

Question 3

What is synaptic pruning?

Answer 3

When a weakened synapse dies once information is learnt, more often used synapses strengthen

Question 4

Bokye et al. (2008) - Juggling

Answer 4

• Studied 60 year old participants learning to juggle
• Increased grey matter in visual cortex
• When practise was stopped, changes were reversed

Question 5

Davidson et al. (2004) - Meditation

Answer 5

• Compared 8 practisers of Tibetan meditation with 10 volunteers with no previous experience
• Fitted with electrical sensors and asked to meditate for short periods
• Greater activation of gamma waves (control neuron activity) in the 8
  practisers
• Suggests that mediation may
  produce not only short term, but also permanent changes

Question 6

What is axon sprouting?

Answer 6

The growth of new nerve endings connect with other undamaged neurons to produce new neural circuits

Question 7

What is neuronal unmasking?

Answer 7

Dormant synapses open connections to compensate for a nearby damaged area of the brain

Question 8

What is recruitment of homologous areas?

Answer 8

Recruitment to the opposite side of the brain to perform specific functions

Question 9

Research support for functional recovery: AO3 ✅

Answer 9

-Researchers in the 1960s studied cases of stroke victims who had regained functions initially lost due to the stroke
- They discovered that when brain cells are damaged or destroyed functions may be recovered through the growth of new nerve endings which connect with other undamaged neurons to produce new neural circuits (axon sprouting).
In addition, neuronal unmasking where ‘dormant’ synapses (which exist anatomically but have not received enough input previously to be active) open connections to compensate
for a nearby damaged area of the brain
- Other parts of the brain seemed to take over functions from the damaged or destroyed areas (recruitment of homologous areas to the opposite side of the brain).

Question 10

Plasticity research support in humans: AO3 ✅

Answer 10

• Maguire et al. (2000) studied London taxi drivers to discover if there were any changes in their brain due to wide knowledge of navigation
• Researchers found a large amount of grey matter in the back of the hippocampus compared to control participants (hippocampus is largely involved in navigation)
• The larger the hippocampus was relative to the amount of time spent as a taxi driver

Question 11

Plasticity research support in animals: AO3 ✅

Answer 11

• Kempermann et al. (1998) investigated whether enriched environments could alter the number of neurons in the brain
• They found that the number of neurons was relative to the complexity of the environments the rats were in
• Lots of neurons in hippocampus, which controls navigation
• Caution should be taken with animal studies as their cerebral cortex is more complex