Plasticity and Funtional Recovery Of The Brain After Trauma

Question 1

What is brain plasticity

Answer 1

The brains ability to change and adapt because of experience

Question 2

Brains growth and its neural pathway connections

Answer 2

Every time something is learned neaural pathways are formed.
-infancy has the most rapid growth in neural pathways peaking at 2-3 YO
-rarely used connection are deleted (forgotten) and frequently used connections are strengthened.
-shows the brain is constantly changing as we experience stuff

Question 3

Supporting evidence for plasticity

Answer 3

Maguire
Sample- 16 male London taxi 🚖 drivers who done knowledge test on all roads in London.
- brain scan showed they had a large volume hippocampus, which deals with special processing compared to control group.
-supports brain plasticity that experiences change brain structure

✖️beta bias- don’t know if women’s brains are the same

Question 4

How can brain Plasticity be negative ?

Answer 4

Prolonged drug and alcohol abuse = cognitive deficit
And old age lead to dementia.
Bad brain plasticity

Question 5

What is Functional recovery

Answer 5

The function that a damaged area of the brain use to perform is transferred to an undamaged area of the brain that will adapt to carry it out.

Question 6

Supporting research of functional recovery

Answer 6

Sample- stroke victims who were able to regain brain function.
-stokes damage brain cells
- the brain can retire itself over time to regain some function
-this is because neurones next to the damaged area of the brain form new circuits to carry out function.

Question 7

Two forms of functional recovery

Answer 7

• recruitment of homologous
  -axonal sprouting

Question 8

What is recruitment of homologous

Answer 8

Where similar areas on opposite hemisphere can take over the function that was lost on the opposite side.
Eg if brocas area is damages area on RH may take over through the help of speech therapy.

Question 9

What is Axonal sprouting

Answer 9

Where new nerve endings grow and connect to the undamaged areas to form neural pathways to carry out function.
EG if motor cortex is damaged that effects movement in arm do physical therapy on the arm to start using the new neural pathways.

Question 10

Factors of functional recovery

Answer 10

-women recover quicker than men- women are more inclined to get help and accept something is wrong and follow advice Given and stick to therapy.

-the younger you are the easier and quicker it is to recover