Plasticity and Functional Recovery of the Brain After Trauma

Question 1

What is plasticity?

Answer 1

The brain’s tendency to change and adapt (functionally and physically) as a result of experience and new learning

Question 2

What is functional recovery?

Answer 2

A form of plasticity, the brain’s ability to redistribute or transfer functions: following damage through trauma

Question 3

What is synaptic pruning?

Answer 3

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

Question 4

What is axon sprouting?

Answer 4

Undamaged axons grow new nerve endings to reconnect neurons whose links were injured or severed

Question 5

What is pruning?

Answer 5

Where connections are lost due to a lack of use

Question 6

What is bridging?

Answer 6

Where new connections are created due to use and new stimulus

Question 7

What was Maguire et al’s (2002) study on plasticity and what did he find?

Answer 7

Procedure:
- At University College London, did MRI scans comparing 16 male London taxi driver and age-matched male control subjects who did not drive taxis
Findings:
- Positive correlation between size of posterior hippocampus and time as a driver
- Correlations not casual but imply experience of being a taxi driver changes brain
- Found more volume of grey matter in posterior hippocampus than matched control group - associated with development of spatial and navigational skills and memory
- Drivers had larger posterior hippocampus then control group
Conclusion:
- Suggests drivers hippocampus is larger because of structural changes due to extensive training required to learn layout of London streets

Question 8

What was Kuhn et al’s (2013) study on plasticity and what did he find?

Answer 8

Procedure:
- Got participants to play Super Mario for at least 30 minutes per day over 2 months
- Compared brain development to control group
Findings:
- Significant increase in grey matter in many areas in brain for video game group - associated with spatial navigation, planning, memory and motor performance (all involved in game)
- No increase in control group - demonstrates plasticity within brain

Question 9

What is functional recovery?

Answer 9

• Form of plasticity
• After trauma, brain has ability to redistribute/transfer functions performed by damaged areas to undamaged areas - compensate for area that’s lost function
• Rewires by forming new synaptic connections close to area of damage
• Secondary neural pathways activated to enable functioning to continue

Question 10

What structures in the brain support functional recovery?

Answer 10

• Axonal sprouting
• Reformation of blood vessels
• Recruitment of homologous (similar) areas on opposite side of brain to perform specific tasks

Question 11

What was Tajiri et al’s (2013) study on functional recovery and what did he find?

Answer 11

Procedure:
- Gave evidence for role of stem cells in recovery of brain injury
- Randomly assigned rats with traumatic injury to one of 2 groups
- 1 group received transplants of stem cells
- Control group received solution infused into brain with no stem cells
Findings:
- 3 months later, brains of stem cell rats showed clear development of neuron-like cells in area of injury
- Nothing from control