Plasticity and Functional Recovery

Question 1

what is brain plasticity

Answer 1

the ability to change and adapt as a result of experience, aids recovery

Question 2

what is functional recovery

Answer 2

the brains ability to transfer functions from damaged to undamaged areas following trauma, enabling recovery

Question 3

what are the three types of experience saying neural organisation

Answer 3

life experience
video games
meditation

Question 4

how does life experience cause neural organisation

Answer 4

frequently used pathways develop stronger connections whereas rarely used neurons eventually die - there is a natural decline in cognitive functioning with age

Question 5

what experiment provides evidence for life experience causing neural organisation

Answer 5

Boyke et al - juggling taught to 60 year olds increased grey matter in visual cortex

Question 6

how does playing video games cause neural organisation

Answer 6

makes complex motor and cognitive demands on the brain

Question 7

what experiment provides evidence for playing video games causing neural organisation

Answer 7

Kuhn et al - participants playing Super Mario for 30 minutes a day increased their grey matter bringing new synaptic connections

Question 8

how does meditation cause neural organisation

Answer 8

been found to change the inner workings of the brain in the short term and on a more permanent basis

Question 9

what experiment provided evidence for meditation causing neural organisation

Answer 9

Davidson et al - compared the brains of Tibetan monks to student volunteers, found greater gamma wave activity in monks even before meditation

Question 10

what are the four mechanisms for recovery

Answer 10

1 - axon sprouting
2 - denervation supersensitivity
3 - neuronal unmasking
4 - stem cells

Question 11

describe axon sprouting

Answer 11

axon damaged - connection with neighbouring neuron lost - other axons already connected w that neighbouring neuron sprout extra connections to compensate for the damaged one

Question 12

when does axon sprouting occur

Answer 12

2 weeks after damage

Question 13

describe denervation supersensitivity

Answer 13

when axons that do similar jobs become aroused to a higher level to compensate for a lost one

Question 14

what is one drawback of denervation supersensitivity

Answer 14

can result in over sensitivity messages eg pain

Question 15

describe neuronal unmasking

Answer 15

if you increase the input you can unmask dormant synapses and connections to unused areas of the brain - developing new structures

Question 16

what are stem cells

Answer 16

cells which potentially take on a variety of functions

Question 17

how can stem cells aid recovery

Answer 17

if implanted could replace damaged cells, rescue injured cells as they secrete growth factors or create neural networks linking the uninjured and damaged regions of the brain

Question 18

what are the 5 mediating factors for functional recovery

Answer 18

1 - gender
2 - educational attainment
3 - age
4 - perseverance
5 - physical exhaustion, stress and alcohol consumption

Question 19

what does perseverance refer to as a mediating factor

Answer 19

a function may appear to be lost but it may be the individual not trying

Question 20

which study provided evidence for perseverance as a mediating factor

Answer 20

Taub & Berman - monkey w limb that lost sensory input, money doesn’t use that limb but if lost others would have no choice but to, motor nerves still connected but sensory nerve damaged

Question 21

what does physical exhaustion, stress and alcohol mean when refering to mediating factors

Answer 21

when a function is recovered in an individual it then takes them considerable effort to complete the task resulting in fatigue

Question 22

what evidence is there for physical exhaustion, stress and alcohol consumption as mediating factors

Answer 22

stress hinders recovery, alcoholics who stop drinking make faster recoveries in terms of brain function

Question 23

what does age mean in reference to mediating factors

Answer 23

functional plasticity decreases with age with older patients regaining less function

Question 24

what evidence is there for age as a mediating factor of recovery

Answer 24

Danielli et al - case study EB, aged 2 lost much of left hemisphere meaning no linguistic abilities, by aged 17 right hemisphere had compensated for loss of left and was functioning linguistically well

Question 25

what does gender mean in reference to mediating factors

Answer 25

because women’s function is lateralised they recover better from brain injury than men but there is conflicting evidence

Question 26

what evidence is there for gender as a mediating factor of recovery

Answer 26

Ratcliffe et al - women performed better than men on tests of working memory and attention and language, men better in visual analytic skills

Question 27

what does educational attainment mean in reference to mediating factors of recovery

Answer 27

the higher an individuals education, the stronger their recovery from brain injury is

Question 28

what evidence is there for educational attainment as a mediating factor of recovery

Answer 28

Schneider et al - patients are more likely to be disability free one year after severe brain injury if college level educated