⭐️ plasticity & functional recovery after brain trauma✅

Question 1

definition of plasticity?

definition of functional recovery?

Answer 1

plasticity = brains tendency to change and adapt as a result of learning and new experience

functional recovery = the transfer of functions from a damaged area of the brain after trauma to other undamaged areas.

Question 2

Brain plasticity:

during infancy, what does the brain experience?

what happens as we age? what is this process known as?

at any time in life what can happen regarding these connections?

Answer 2

• a rapid growth in synaptic connections
• the connections we need are stengthened and the ones we doing get deleted - synaptic pruning
• they can be formed or changed as a result of new experiences and learning

Question 3

brain plasticity:

what is the research by Maguire?

what area is this known for?

what was found?

what does the show?

Answer 3

• looked at a group of London taxi drivers who had a large amount of grey matter (nothing) in their posterior hippocampus
• the development of spatial and navigational skills
• the posterior hippocampus volume of London taxi drivers’ brains was positively correlated with their time as a taxi driver and that there were significant differences between the taxi drivers’ brains and those of controls.

This shows that the brain can permanently change in response to frequent exposure to a particular task.

Question 4

functional recovery:

why does this occur after brain trauma?

what do neuroscientists suggest about how long it take?

Answer 4

• unaffected areas compensate for damaged areas so the brain can still function how it should
• can happen instantly after brain injury (spontaneous recovery) and then slow down after several weeks

Question 5

process of brain recovery:

whats the first thing the brain can do?

what do secondary neural pathways do?

what are the 3 changes in the brain?

Answer 5

• rewire itself by forming new neural connections close to the area damaged
• the ones that aren’t often used will be activated to enable functioning to continue

1️⃣ axonal sprouting - growth of nerve endings which connect with undamaged nerve cells to develop new neural pathways

2️⃣ denervation super sensitivity - remaining axons become more sensitive to compensate for the lost ones

3️⃣ recruitment of homologous - areas of the opposite side of the brain perform specific tasks eg. if broaches area is damaged (left) the same I the right side will carry out its functions

Question 6

AO3:
functional recovery

✅ strength
❌ weakness

Answer 6

✅ the application of the findings to the field of neurorehabilitation. Understanding the processes of plasticity and functional recovery led to the development of neurorehabilitation which uses motor therapy and electrical stimulation of the brain to counter the negative effects and deficits in motor and cognitive functions following accidents, injuries and/or strokes. This demonstrates the positive application of research in this area to help improve the cognitive functions of people suffering from injuries.

❌ While there is evidence for functional recovery, it is possible that this ability can deteriorate with age. Elbert et al. concluded that the capacity for neural reorganisation is much greater in children than in adults, meaning that neural regeneration is less effective in older brains. explaining why adults find change more demanding than do young people. Therefore, we must consider individual differences when assessing the likelihood of functional recovery in the brain after trauma.