Plasticity and functional recovery of the brain after trauma

Question 1

Define the term plasticity.

Answer 1

It’s the brain’s ability to change and adapt because of experience and new learning e.g. driving a car, playing a musical instrument, etc.

Question 2

Define the term synaptic pruning.

Answer 2

It’s when the synaptic connections that rapidly grew in infancy are deleted as we age because they’re rarely used and the ones that are frequently used are strengthened.

Question 3

Define the term bridging.

Answer 3

It’s where new connections are created due to use and new stimulus.

Question 4

Who researched plasticity?

Answer 4

Maguire et al. (2000).

Question 5

Give the aim of Maguire et al’s experiment.

Answer 5

To examine structural changes in the brain after extensive training on spatial navigation.

Question 6

Explain Maguire’s method.

Answer 6

Studied the brains of London taxi drivers using MRI scans.

Question 7

What were the results of the taxi drivers?

Answer 7

Increased volume found in the posterior hippocampus

Question 8

Define the term functional recovery.

Answer 8

Is a form of plasticity that occur in the brain after trauma which involves the brains ability to redistribute functions usually performed by damaged areas.

Question 9

What happens in the brain during recovery?

Answer 9

The brain rewire itself by forming new synaptic connections close to damaged areas in the brain. Secondary neural pathways that aren’t normally used to carry out certain functions are activated to enable functions to continue.

Question 10

List the functions that support the brain recovery.

Answer 10

Axonal sprouting
Reformation of blood vessels
Recruitment of homologous areas

Question 11

Define the term axonal sprouting.

Answer 11

The growth of new nerve endings which connect with other undamaged nerve cells to form new neural pathways.

Question 12

What are the strengths of plasticity and functional recovery of the brain after trauma?

Answer 12

Practical application - neurorehabilitation

Bezzola et al. (2012) supports how plasticity reduce with age.

Question 13

Define the term neurorehabilitation.

Answer 13

Is the physical therapy required to maintain improvements in functioning since the natural spontaneous recovery tends to slow down after a number of weeks e.g. physiotherapy, occupational therapy, language therapy, etc.

Question 14

Explain Bezzola at al’s (2012).

Answer 14

Bezzola et al (2012) found that when given 40 hours of golf training, participants aged 40-60 showed evidence of changes to the neural representation of movement in the motor cortex. This supports neural plasticity, and that it can happen at potentially any age.

Question 15

What are the limitations of plasticity and functional recovery of the brain after trauma?

Answer 15

Negative plasticity - Brain’s ability to rewire itself can have maladaptive behavioural consequences. e.g. prolonged drug use has shown to result in poorer cognitive functioning, an increased risk of dementia and 60-80% of amputees have been known to develop phantom limb syndrome.

Question 16

Define the term phantom limb syndrome.

Answer 16

The continued experience of sensations in the missing limb as if it were still there. These sensations are usually unpleasant, painful and are thought to be due to cortical reorganisation in the somatosensory cortex that occurs as a result of limb loss.

Question 17

Explain the brain plasticity during infancy.

Answer 17

During infancy, the brain experiences a rapid growth in the number of synaptic connections it has, peaking at 15,000 synapses per neuron at age 2 - 3 years (Gopnik et al. 1999). Equates to twice as many in the adult brain