Plasticity and functional recovery of the brain

Question 1

what is meant by the term brain plasticity

Answer 1

refers to the brain’s ability to modify its only structure and function as a result of experience

Question 2

what is meant by the term functional recovery

Answer 2

refers to the recovery of abilities and mental processes that have been compromised as a result of injury or disease

Question 3

what experience factors have been known to affect neural structure and function

Answer 3

1) life experiences
2) video games
3) meditation

Question 4

explain plasticity as a result of life experiences

Answer 4

1) as people gain new experiences nerve pathways that are used frequently develop stronger connections- compared to those used less frequently which eventually die

Question 5

outline research surrounding natural declines in plasticity in the brain due to age.

Answer 5

Boyke et al

• aimed to explore how new connections can be made to reverse the effects of natural declines
• 60-year-olds were taught a new skill= juggling
• they found increases in grey matter in the visual cortex
• when practicing stopped these changes were reversed

Question 6

Explain research into changes in brain plasticity as a result of playing video games

Answer 6

• playing video games requires many motor and cognitive demands
• Kuhn et al compared a control group with a video gaming group that were trained for two months for at least 30 mins a day on super Mario
• they found video game training had resulted in large increases of grey matter in the cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum
• researchers found that video gamers formed new synaptic connections in brain areas to do with spatial navigation and planning

Question 7

explain research into changes in brain plasticity as a result of meditation

Answer 7

Davidson et al

• compared 8 practitioners of Tibetan meditation with 10 student volunteers with no meditation experience
• both were fitted with electrical sensors and asked to meditate
• the electrodes picked up far greater activation of gamma waves in the monks where as the students only increased a little
• concluded meditation can produce permanent changes as the monks had far greater gamma waves even before meditation

Question 8

evaluate plasticity of the brain

Answer 8

1) research support from animal studies- rats in complex or simple housing
2) research support from human studies- London taxi drivers

Question 9

what are the mechanisms for functional recovery

Answer 9

1) neuronal unmasking

2) stem cells

Question 10

outline neuronal unmasking as a mechanism for functional recovery

Answer 10

• dormant synapses in the brain whose connection there is anatomically but function is blocked
• they are left inactive as the rate of neural input is too low
• increasing rate of input into these synapses due to damage to other areas of the brain can then activate them
• the unmasking of dormant synapses allows for new connections to be made around the damage helping regain recovery

Question 11

outline the role of stem cells as a mechanism for functional recovery

Answer 11

• unspecialised cells that can differentiate into any cell and carry out their functions
• stem cells can be directly implanted into the brain to replace dead or dying nerve cells
• stem cells could be placed in the brain and secrete ‘growth factors’ saving the dying cells
• transplanted cells form a neural network that links uninjured sites with the damaged areas of the brain

Question 12

evaluate function recovery of the brain

Answer 12

1) research support from animal studies- stem cell implants in rats supports their role
2) individual differences with age in recovery- better in children bit intense retraining can help
3) increased education leads to improved functional recovery- retrospective studies from traumatic brian injury system database