plasticity and functional recovery of the brain after trauma

Question 1

brain plasticity

Answer 1

brains ability to chance and adapt as a result of experience and new learning
-as we age, rarely used connections are deleted and frequently used connections are strengthened (synaptic pruning)

Question 2

research into plasticity

Answer 2

Maguire (2000)- studied brains of london taxi drivers and found they had a much larger hipppcampus than normal people
-this part of the brain is associated with spatial and navigational skills

Draganski (2006)- imaged the brains of medical students three months before and after their final exams
-learning induced changes were seen to have occurred in the posterior hipppcampus and the parietal cortex

Mechelli (2004)- found a larger parietal cortex in the brains of people who were bilingual

Question 3

functional recovery of the brain after trauma

Answer 3

following damage through trauma, unaffected areas have the ability to redistribute or transfer functions usually performed by a damaged area to an undamaged area

Question 4

what happens in the brain during recovery

Answer 4

• forms new synaptic connections close to the area of damage
• secondary neural pathways that would not typically be used to carry out certain functions are activated to enable functioning go continue often in the same was as before

structural changes:

• axonal sprouting: growth of new nerve endings which connect with other undamaged nerve cells to form new neuronal pathways
• reformation of blood vessels
• recruitment of similar areas on the opposite side of the brain to perform specific tasks

Question 5

practical application

Answer 5

neurorehabilitation

• following illness or injury to the brain, spontaneous recovery tends to slow down after a number of weeks so forms of physical therapy may be required to maintain improvements in functioning
• shows that although the brain may have the capacity the ‘fix itself’ to a point, this process requires further intervention if it is to be completely successful

Question 6

negative plasticity

Answer 6

sometimes has maladaptive behavioural consequences

• prolonged drug use for example has been shown to result in poorer cognitive functioning as well as an increased risk of dementia
• 60-80% of amputees have been known to develop phantom limb syndrome- the continued sensations of the missing limb

Question 7

age and plasticity

Answer 7

functional plasticity tends to reduce with age
-brain has a grater propensity for reorganisation in childhood as it is constantly adapting to new experiences and learning

Question 8

support from animal studies

Answer 8

early evidence of neuroplasticity and functional recovery was derived from animal studies

• Hubel and Wiesel (1963)-sewed a kittens eye shut and analysed the brains cortical responses
• the area of the visual cortex associated with the shut eye was not idle as had been predicted but continued to process information from the open eye

Question 9

concept of cognitive reserve

Answer 9

evidence suggests that a persons educational attainment may influence how well the brain functionally adapts after injury
-Schneider (2014)- discovered that the more time brain injury patients had spent in education the greater their chances of a disability free recovery