Plasticity and functional recovery of the brain after trauma

Question 1

What is brain plasticity?

Answer 1

The tendency of the brain to change and adapt as a result of experience and learning

Question 2

Gopnick’s research into brain plasticity (conclusion)

Answer 2

Rapid growth in the number of synaptic connections in infancy, it peaks at approx’ 15,000 at age 2-3 years

Question 3

What is synaptic pruning?

Answer 3

The connections that we rarely use are deleted and the ones frequently used are strengthened

Question 4

What does research suggest about neural connections?

Answer 4

That existing ones can change, and new connections can be formed due to learning and experience

Question 5

Maguire’s research - London taxi drivers

Answer 5

• Found significantly more grey matter in the posterior hippocampus than in a control group
• This area of the brain is associated with spatial and navigational skills
• Conclusion: learning this knowledge of routes altered the structure of the drivers’ brains

Question 6

What is an issue with Maguire’s research?

Answer 6

The research was correlational, it wasn’t able to show cause and effect

Question 7

What is functional recovery of the brain?

Answer 7

The brain redistributes functions to the undamaged areas of the brain after trauma - it is an example of neural plasticity

Question 8

What is spontaneous recovery?

Answer 8

The redistribution of functions quickly occuring after the trauma

Question 9

What happens during brain recovery?

Answer 9

The brain rewires and reorganises itself by making new synaptic connections

Question 10

What is axonal sprouting?

Answer 10

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

Question 11

What is denerveration super sensitivity?

Answer 11

When neurons that do a similar job become aroused to a higher level to compensate for the ones that are lost

Question 12

Limitation of plasticity - may have negative behavioural consequences

Answer 12

• Brain’s adaptations to drug use leads to poorer cognitive functioning later in life
• Furthermore, 60-80% of amputees develop phantom limb syndrome, this is due to reorganisation in the somatosensory cortex
  Suggests that the brain’s ability to adapt may not always be beneficial

Question 13

Strength of plasticity - may be a life-long ability

Answer 13

• Bezzola et al demonstrated how 40 hours of golf training changes neural representations of movement in participants
• Using an FMRI, they observed increased motor cortex activity in novice golfers compared to control group
• More efficient neural representations after training
• Shows that neural plasticity can continue throughout the lifespan

Question 14

Strength of functional recovery - real-world application

Answer 14

• Contributed to the field of neurorehabilitation
• Understanding the process of axonal sprouting can lead to new therapies
• E.g = constraint induced movement therapy is used for stroke patients
• Shows research into functional recovery is useful as it helps medical professionals know when interventions need to be made

Question 15

Limitation of functional recovery - level of education may influence recovery rates

Answer 15

• When people with a brain injury had spent time in education they had a greater chance of disability-free recovery
• 40% of those with DFR had spent more than 16 years in education compared to 10% who had less than 12 years
• This implies people with brain damage who have insufficient DFR are less likely to achieve a full recovery