Plasticity and Functional Recovery of the Brain After Trauma Flashcards
what is meant by brain plasticity?
the brain has the ability to change throughout life. infant has rapid growth in synaptic connections, around 15000 per neurone at 2-3 yrs (twice as many as in adult brain) (Gopnik et al)
what is synaptic pruning?
rarely used connections deleted and frequently used connections strengthened. enables life long plasticity where new neural connections formed.
describe maguire’s research into brain plasticity
found significantly more grey matter in LDN taxi drivers in posterior hippocampus than a control group. (spatial and navigation skills)
‘the knowledge’ test they take alters brain structure –> longer in the job more differences
describe droganski research
found similar findings to maguire with medical students.
one limitation of brain plasticity (AO3)
negative plasticity
evidence shows brain adaptation to prolonged drug use leads to poorer cognitive functioning in later life and increased dementia risk.
60-80% amputees have been known to develop phantom limb syndrome. suggests brain ability to adapt is not always beneficial.
one strength of brain plasticity is age and plasticity (AO3)
brain plasticity is a life long ability. in general reduces with age, research has shown 40hrs of golf training produces changes in neural representations of movement in PPS 40-60.
FMRI, increased motor cortex activity in golfers compared to control.
describe functional recovery after trauma.
healthy brain areas take over lost functions after trauma, happens quickly and slows down after weeks/ months.
describe the brain and recovery
brain able to rewire by forming new synaptic connections close to area of damage.
what is axonal sprouting?
growth of new nerve endings connect to undamaged endings.
what is denervation supersensitivity?
axon that have a similar job to damaged overcompensate for damaged axon
one consequence of denervation supersensitivity
oversensitive to pain
what is the recruitment of homologous brain areas?
specific tasks can still be performed. over time functionality may return to normal
real world application of functional recovery (AO3)
simply understanding axonal growth is possible, encourages new therapies to be tried.
eg. constraint induced movement therapy used with stroke patients (repeatedly using affected part)
shows research is useful as helps medical proffesionals.
one limitation of functional recovery (AO3)
cognitive reserve
level of education may influence recovery rates. research revealed more time people with a brain injury had spent in education the greater chance of disability free recovery.
40% DFR = 16yrs in education
10% DFR = 12yrs in education
