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Psychology - IN FOCUS Biopsychology > Plasticity and functional recovery of the brain after trauma > Flashcards

Plasticity and functional recovery of the brain after trauma Flashcards

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1
Q

When does functional recovery occur?

A

Following physical injury, or other forms of trauma such as the experience of a stroke

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2
Q

Following physical injury or other forms of trauma such as a stroke, what are unaffected areas of the brain often able to do?

A

Adapt and compensate for those areas that are damaged

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3
Q

True/False: The functional recovery that may occur in the brain after trauma is an example of neural plasticity

A

True

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4
Q

What may healthy brain areas do following physical injury or other forms of trauma such as a stroke?

A

Take over functions of those areas that are damaged, destroyed or even missing

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5
Q

True/False: In functional recovery, healthy brain areas can take over functions of areas that are damaged, destroyed or even missing

A

True

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6
Q

When do neuroscientists suggest that functional recovery can occur?

A

Quickly after trauma then slow down after several weeks or months

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7
Q

Neuroscientists suggest that the process of healthy brain areas taking over functions of areas that are damaged, destroyed or missing can occur quickly after trauma. What is this called?

A

Spontaneous recovery

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8
Q

True/False: Functional recovery only occurs in the days after a trauma

A

False, there is a period of spontaneous recovery and this then slows down after several weeks or months

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9
Q

What may an individual require after spontaneous recovery in order to further their recovery?

A

Rehabilitative therapy

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10
Q

How is the brain able to rewire and reorganise itself?

A

By forming new synaptic connections close to the area of the damage

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11
Q

True/False: The brain is able to rewire and reorganise itself by forming new synaptic connections close to the area of the damage

A

True

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12
Q

The brain is able to rewire and reorganise itself by forming new synaptic connections close to the area of the damage. What is this like?

A

Avoiding roadworks on the way to school by finding a different route

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13
Q

How are new synaptic connections formed close to an area of damage in the brain?

A

Secondary neural pathways that would not typically be used to carry out certain functions are activated or ‘unmasked’

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14
Q

During functional recovery, what becomes activated or ‘unmasked’ to enable functioning to continue?

A

Secondary neural pathways that would not typically be used to carry out certain functions

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15
Q

True/False: When secondary neural pathways that would not typically be used to carry out certain functions are activated or ‘unmasked’, functioning often continues in the same way as before

A

True

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16
Q

The formation of new synaptic connections in the brain in functional recovery is supported by a number of structural changes in the brain. What are these?

A

Axonal sprouting, denervation supersensitivity and recruitment of homologous areas

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17
Q

Axonal sprouting

A

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

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18
Q

Denervation supersensitivity

A

Occurs when axons that do a similar job become aroused to a higher level to compensate for the ones that are lost

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19
Q

What is the main drawback of denervation supersensitivity occurring during functional recovery?

A

It can have the negative consequence of oversensitivity to messages such as pain

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20
Q

What does recruitment of homologous areas mean?

A

Recruitment of similar areas on the opposite side of the brain

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21
Q

What does recruitment of homologous areas enable?

A

Specific tasks can still be performed

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22
Q

What would happen in functional recovery of Broca’s area was damaged on the left side of the brain?

A

The right-side equivalent would carry out its function and after a period of time, functionality may then shift back to the left side

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23
Q

In what sense would the brain appear to be ‘plastic’?

A

In the sense that it has the ability to change throughout life

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24
Q

During which life stage does the brain experience a rapid growth in the number of synaptic connections it has?

A

During infancy (2-3 years of age)

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25
Q

During infancy, the brain experiences a rapid growth in the number of synaptic connections it has, peaking at around how many per neuron?

A

15,000

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26
Q

Who said that the number of synaptic connections in the brain peaks at around 15,000 per neuron at 2-3 years of age?

A

Gopnik et al. (1999)

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27
Q

During infancy, the number of synaptic connections in the brain peaks at around 15,000 per neuron compared to how many in the adult brain?

A

Around 7500 (50%)

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28
Q

Synaptic pruning

A

As we age, rarely-used connections are deleted and frequently-used connections are strengthened

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29
Q

True/False: People once thought that the adult brain was not capable of change

A

True

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30
Q

We now understand that which process enables lifelong plasticity where new neural connections are formed in response to new demands on the brain?

A

Synaptic pruning

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31
Q

Which process enables new neural connections to be formed in response to new demands on the brain?

A

Synaptic pruning

32
Q

True/False: Functional recovery has real-world application

A

True

33
Q

Understanding the processes involved in plasticity has contributed to which field?

A

Neurorehabilitation

34
Q

What does simply understanding that axonal growth is possible encourage in science?

A

New therapies to be tried

35
Q

What is constraint-induced movement therapy?

A

Therapy whereby patients repeatedly practice using the affected part of their body, such as an arm, whilst the unaffected arm is restrained

36
Q

The fact that functional recovery has real-world application e.g. in constraint-induced movement therapy shows that…

A

the research into functional recovery is useful as it helps medical professionals know when interventions need to be made

37
Q

True/False: There is a correlation between level of education and recovery rates

A

True

38
Q

What did Schneider et al. (2014) find about level of education and recovery rates?

A

The more time people with a brain injury had spent in education the greater their chances of disability-free recovery

39
Q

Schneider et al. (2014) found that what percentage of those who achieved disability free recover had more than 16 years’ education?

A

40%

40
Q

Schneider et al. (2014) found that 40% of those who achieved disability free recovery had more than how many years’ education?

A

16

41
Q

Schneider et al. (2014) found that what percentage of those who achieved disability free recovery had less than 12 years’ education?

A

10%

42
Q

Schneider et al. (2014) found that 10% of those who had achieved disability free recovery had less than how many years of education?

A

12

43
Q

Schneider et al. (2014)’s findings about disability free recovery and education imply that…

A

people with brain damage who have insufficient education are less likely to achieve a full recovery

44
Q

Time spent in education is an indication of people’s ‘cognitive _______’

A

reserve

45
Q

True/False: Research is ongoing for new treatments to aid functional recovery

A

True

46
Q

Who did Banerjee et al. (2014) treat in their ongoing research for new treatments to aid functional recovery?

A

People who had a total anterior circulation stroke with stem cells

47
Q

What did Banerjee et al. (2014) find when treating people who had a total anterior circulation stroke (TACS) with stem cells?

A

All participants in this trial recovered compared to the more typical level of just 4% recovery

48
Q

What is the typical level of recovery in people who’ve had a total anterior circulation stroke?

A

4%

49
Q

What is the main criticism of Banerjee et al.’s functional recovery study?

A

Drew conclusions based on just five participants and no control group

50
Q

What is fairly typical of research on functional recovery that decreases its validity?

A

Small sample sizes

51
Q

True/False: Plasticity may be a life-long ability

A

True

52
Q

In general plasticity increases/reduces with age

A

reduces

53
Q

What did Bezzola et al. (2012) demonstrate about the neural representations of movement in his participants?

A

How 40 hours of gold training produced changes in their neural representations of movement

54
Q

How old were Bezzola et al. (2012)’s participants?

A

Aged 40-60

55
Q

Which technique to study the brain did Bezzola et al. (2012) use in their study?

A

fMRI

56
Q

What did Bezzola et al. (2012) observe compared to the control group?

A

Increased motor cortex activity in the novice golfers

57
Q

What did Bezzola et al. (2012)’s study suggest?

A

More efficient neural representations after training - shows that neural plasticity can continue throughout the lifespan

58
Q

True/False: Bezzola et al. (2012)’s findings show that neural plasticity doesn’t continue throughout the lifespan

A

False, it does

59
Q

Who did Maguire et al. (2000) study?

A

London taxi drivers

60
Q

What did Maguire et al. (2000) find about London taxi drivers?

A

Significantly more volume of grey matter in the posterior hippocampus than in a matched control group

61
Q

Maguire et al. (2000) found significantly more volume of grey matter in the posterior hippocampus of London taxi drivers than in a matched control group. What is this part of the brain associated with?

A

Development of spatial and navigational skills

62
Q

True/False: The posterior hippocampus is associated with the development of spatial and navigational skills

A

True

63
Q

True/False: The posterior hippocampus is associated with the development of spatial and navigational skills in humans but not animals

A

False, it is associated with the development of spatial and navigational skills in both

64
Q

As part of their training, London cabbies must take a complex test called what?

A

‘The Knowledge’

65
Q

What does ‘The Knowledge’ test?

A

London taxi drivers’ recall of the city streets and possible routes

66
Q

What did Maguire et al. (2000) find about the length of time that taxi drivers had been in their job?

A

The longer the taxi drivers had been in the job, the more pronounced was the structural difference

67
Q

What did Bogdan Draganski et al. (2006) find about medical students three months before and after their final exams?

A

Learning-induced changes were seen to have occurred int he posterior hippocampus and the parietal cortex, presumably as a result of learning

68
Q

Give an example of how plasticity can have negative behavioural consequences

A

Any from prolonged drug use leads to poorer cognitive functioning in later life as well as increased risk of dementia and 60-80% of amputees have been known to develop phantom limb syndrome

69
Q

What percentage of amputees have been known to develop phantom limb syndrome?

A

60-80%

70
Q

Phantom limb syndrome

A

The continued experience of sensations in the missing limb as if it was still there

71
Q

What are phantom limb sensations thought to be due to?

A

Cortical reorganisation in the somatosensory cortex occurring as a result of limb loss

72
Q

The fact that plasticity can have negative behaviour consequences suggests what about the brain’s ability to adapt to damage?

A

It is not always beneficial

73
Q

Research suggests that there may be ________ plasticity in the brain in response to environmental changes

A

seasonal

74
Q

What does the SCN regulate?

A

The sleep/wake cycle

75
Q

There is evidence that the SCN brain structure _______ in all animals during spring and _______ through autumn

A

shrinks, expands

76
Q

What’s the main limitation. of research into seasonal plasticity in the brain?

A

Must of the research has been done on animals, most notably songbirds. Human behaviour may be controlled differently

Psychology - IN FOCUS Biopsychology (7 decks)

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