Plasticity and Functional Recovery after trauma Flashcards
What is plasticity?
(Sometimes known as neural plasticity or cortical remapping)
The brains tendency to change and adapt both functionally and physically as a result of experience and new learning.
What did Maguire et al (2000) do, find and conclude?
To examine whether structural changes could be detected in the brain of people with extensive experience of spatial navigation.
Structural MRI scans were obtained. 16 right-handed male London taxi drivers participated; all had been driving for more than 1.5 years. Scans of 50 healthy right-handed males who did not drive taxis were included for comparison. The mean age did not differ between the two groups.
Found:
1) Increased grey matter was found in the brains of taxi drivers compared with controls in two brain regions, the right and left hippocampi. The increased volume was found in the posterior (rear) hippocampus.
2)Changes with navigation experience – A correlation was found between the amount of time spent as a taxi driver and volume in the right posterior hippocampus.
Concluded that results provide evidence for structural differences between the hippocampi of London taxi drivers and control participants, therefore suggesting that extensive practice with spatial navigation affects the hippocampus.
What did Kuhn (2014) do and find?
Researchers asked adult participants to play a Super Mario video game to investigate how video games affect the brain. Participants played for 30 minutes a day over a two-year period. A control group didn’t play video games. Brain volume was measured using MRIs.
The video gaming group showed increases of grey matter. These plasticity effects were observed in the right hippocampus and right prefrontal cortex.
Functions such as spatial navigation, memory formation, strategic planning/ decision making and fine motor skills. These changes were more pronounced the more desire the participants reported to play the video game
What is synaptic pruning?
As we age, rarely used connections are deleted and frequently used connections strengthened. This is known as synaptic pruning.
What is pruning?
Where connections are lost due to lack of use.
What is bridging?
Where new connections are created due to use and new stimulus.
What is functional recovery after trauma?
The brains’ ability to redistribute or transfer functions usually performed by a damaged area(s) to other, undamaged area(s). A form of neural plasticity.
Following physical injury or trauma such as stroke, unaffected areas of the brain are often able to adapt and compensate for those areas that are damaged. This process can occur quickly (spontaneous recovery) and then slow down after several weeks or months.
What does the brain do?
The brain rewires itself by forming new synaptic connections close to the damaged area.
Secondary pathways that would not normally be used for certain functions are activated.
What are the structural changes in the brain during recovery?
Axonal sprouting, reformation/growth of new blood vessels and the recruitment of opposite/new areas.
What is axonal sprouting?
Axonal sprouting is the growth of new nerve ending which connect with other undamaged nerve cells to form new neural pathways.
What is reformation/growth of new blood vessels?
New blood vessels are reformed/grow.
What is the recruitment of opposite/new areas?
This is when a similar area of the brain on the opposite side is used to perform a specific task.
One example would be if Broca’s area was damaged (remember, this is on the left side of the brain), the right-sided equivalent would carry out its functions.
What are the strengths of functional recovery after trauma?
What are the limitations of functional recovery after trauma?
