Plasticity And Functional Recovery - evaluation

Question 1

What’s a strength of plasticity related to lifespan?

Answer 1

It may be a lifelong ability despite it reducing with age

Bezzola found 40 hours of golf training changed the neural activity in 40-60 yr olds
- used fMRI scans and observed increased motor cortex activity in beginner golfers

Question 2

What’s another strength of plasticity relating to seasons?

Answer 2

May be seasonal plasticity in response to environment changes

Suprachiamatic nucleus regulates sleep/wake cycle
- evidence shows that this shrinks during the spring and expands during autumn

Question 3

What’s a strength of functional recovery?

Answer 3

Real world application through contributing to the world of neurorehabilitation

Understanding axonal growth is possible = new therapies

Constraint-induced movement therapy used in stroke patients
- patient practices using affected part of the body while unaffeced arm is restrained

Question 4

What’s important to note about seasonal plasticity as a strength?

Answer 4

Most research done on birds

Hard to apply and generalise to humans
- human brains more complex
- limits validity

Question 5

What’s a limitation of plasticity?

Answer 5

May have negative behaviour consequences as brains adaptation to prolonged drug use = poorer cognitive functions in future and increased risk of dementia

As well as:

60-80% of amputees develop phantom limb syndrome (feeling like missing limb still there)
- due to cortical reorganisation in somatosensory cortex as a result of limb loss

Question 6

What limitations exist in research on functional recovery?

Answer 6

Level of education may influence recovery rates as Schneider et al found brain injury patients have greater chance of full recovery if they had spent more time in education

Implies lesser educated people may not fully recover
- research typically includes small samples and no control groups (hard to generalise)