Plasticity and functional recovery

Question 1

What is plasticity also referred to as?

Answer 1

Neuroplasticity or cortical remapping

Question 2

When does brain plasticity happen?

Answer 2

Brain plasticity happens continuously throughout an individual’s lifetime

Question 3

What is a critical period for the brain?

Answer 3

There are ‘critical periods’ during which the brain is particularly sensitive to certain experiences (e.g. language acquisition, sensory development) - learning and adaptation occur more quickly during this time

Question 4

What does Hebb’s theory of neuronal growth state?

Answer 4

That new neural connections are created in our brains as we learn

Question 5

What are collections or groups of neurons that fire together called?

Answer 5

Cell assemblies

Question 6

What does a repeated activation of a cell assembly do?

Answer 6

Strengthens connections between the cells forming a neural pathway.
If we repeatedly use a connection, there is repeated excitation - this stimulates the connection and makes the axon terminal grow.

This growth improves the efficiency of transmission.

Question 7

What is synaptic pruning?

Answer 7

natural process that occurs in the brain between early childhood and adulthood. During this process, the brain eliminates rarely used connections

Question 8

Why is synaptic pruning an important process?

Answer 8

It makes room for new connections to be made later

Question 9

What did Maguire et al study?

Answer 9

The brains of London taxi drivers

Question 10

What test must London taxi drivers take?

Answer 10

A complex test called ‘The Knowledge’, which assesses their recall of the city streets and possible routes

Question 11

What were the findings from Maguire et al study?

Answer 11

It appears that this spatial learning from the test alters the structure of the taxi drivers’ brain
Found significantly more volume of grey matter in the posterior hippocampus than in a matched control group

Question 12

What is the posterior hippocampus?

Answer 12

This part of the brain is associated with the development of spatial and navigational skills in humans and other animals

Question 13

What is grey matter?

Answer 13

Contains cell bodies and dendrites

Question 14

What positive correlation was found in Maguire’s study?

Answer 14

They found a positive correlation between time spent as a taxi driver and the volume of grey matter in the posterior hippocampus.

More time = more volume of grey matter

Question 15

What did Kuhn study?

Answer 15

Studied the brains of participants playing 30 minutes of video games per day for 2 months

Question 16

What were the findings from Kuhn’s study?

Answer 16

Increase in grey matter in the video game group - evidence to support plasticity in adulthood

No increase in grey matter in the control group

Question 17

What do these studies show about brain plasticity?

Answer 17

These studies show that brain plasticity is a life-long ability. The knowledge that our brain is constantly adapting to our environment can be used to promote healthy ageing

Question 18

What do scientists believe leads to decline in function seen in the elderly population?

Answer 18

Changes in plasticity and the loss of neurons

Question 19

In older adults, what can happen to neural connections?

Answer 19

Neural connections may become less flexible. This can lead to slower cognitive processes, reduces memory formation, and difficulties in learning new things

Question 20

What does research suggest a rich stimulating environment can do?

Answer 20

Can enhance and maintain brain plasticity and reduce the onset of dementia