Plasticity and functional recovery evaluation Flashcards
What is the practical application?
Neurorehabilitation has been developed following injury or illness to the brain
Spontaneous recovery tends to slow down after a number of weeks so further physical therapy will be required to maintain functioning, this includes movement therapy and electrical stimulation of the brain in counter to deficits in motor and cognitive functioning
Shows brain can partly fix itself but requires further support
What is negative plasticity?
The brains ability to revive itself can sometimes have maladaptive behavioural consequences
What are examples of negative plasticity?
Prolonged drug use has been shown to result in poorer cognitive functioning and possible risk of dementia later in life
And 60-80% of amputees have been known to develop phantom limb syndrome - continued sensations of a missing limb which are often unpleasant and painful - thought to be down to cortical reorganisation n the somatosensory cortex that occurs after limb loss
What is the link between age and plasticity?
Functional plasticity tends to reduce with age
The brain is more able yo reorganise in childhood as it is constantly adapting to new experiences and learning
What was Bezzola’s research into age and plasticity?
Demonstrated how 40 hours of golf training produces change in the neural representation o movement in participants aged 40-60
Using fMRI researchers noticed a reduced motor cortex activity in novice golfers compared to control group suggesting more efficient neural representations after training showing neural plasticity can continue throughout a lifespan
What is the support from animal studies?
Hubel and Wiesel - involved sewing one eye of a kitten shut and analysis the brains cortical responses. It was found that the area of visual cortex associated with the shut eye was not idle but continued to process information from the open eye
What is the concept of cognitive reserve?
Evidence suggests that educational attainment influences how well the brain functionally adapts after injury
Schneider discovered the more time a brain injury patient spent in education the greater their chances of being disability free.
2/5 had more than 16y’s education, 10% of patients had less than 12 years
What is the effect of mediation and mindfulness?
Neuroscientific studies have examined the effects of prolonged periods of mediation on the brain
Mindfulness is an ancient Buddhist practice and is defined as an intentional and non judgemental focus on ones emotions
What is the case of Gabby Giffords?
Gabby was a politician who survived an assassination attempt when she was shot in the head. She was placed in a waking coma and made excellent progress over a few months
With rehab she was able to walk again and regain control of her left arm leg and hand
She could read, understand and speak a number of phrases and was placed in the top 5% of those who recovered from brain injury
