Recovery of Function Flashcards
What is plasticity?
The ability to show modification especially in nervous tissue
What are the three mechanisms of neuroplasticity?
- Collateral sprouting
- Functional reorganization
- Neuronal regeneration
What is the process of collateral sprouting?
- New connections are formed via axonal sprouting and the brain continues to make new neurons
- Pruning can occur which is when connections that are used frequently become stronger over time
What is functional reorganization?
- Process by which one area of the brain can take over for function lost in another area
- Occurs more often in children than adults
What is neuronal regeneration?
Process of synaptic plasticity that involves experience-dependent long-lasting changes in the strength of neuronal connections
What is long term potentiation?
A type of synaptic plasticity where the threshold needed to stimulate the pre-synaptic neuron lowers which enhances the synapse
Under what two conditions does plasticity occur?
- Typical development and learning
- Recovery of function following neural pathology
True or False
Plasticity is a two-way street, so changes can be positive or negative
True
Activity leads to positive changes, inactivity leads to negative changes (use it or lose it)
What is recovery?
- Restore function to tissue lost in injury
- Restoring the ability to perform movement in the same manner as before the injury
- Task accomplished in the same way, using the same structures
What is compensation?
- Neural tissue acquires a function it did not have prior to injury
- Perform an old movement in a new way
- Task accomplished using alternate structures (AD)
List the factors that affect recovery of function?
- Age
- Extent/characteristics of lesion
- Pre-injury factors
- Post-injury factors
How does age impact recovery of function?
- If injured area is already mature, the injury will likely cause damage
- If injured area is not yet mature, then a second immature area can take over function
How do the characteristics of a lesion impact recovery of function?
- Greater functional loss with a larger lesion compared to a smaller lesion
- Slowly developing lesions cause less functional loss than a quickly developing lesion
How can pre-injury factors impact recovery of function?
- Exercise can induce neuroplasticity, oxygenate the brain, decrease apoptosis, decrease edema, and decrease inhibition of neurite growth inhibiting molecules
- Full, active, and varied environmental enrichment can allow for greater ability to reorganize
- Diet/nutrition
How can post-injury factors impact recovery of function?
- Neurotrophic factors such as nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) can be involved in neural survival and plasticity
- Some medications can enhance or replace neurotransmitters and restore blood circulation, others can negatively affect recovery
- Exercise can help recovery
What is considered when it comes to task selection for interventions?
- Specificity (task specific practice)
- Patient preference (salience)
- Resources
What are the components of dosage parameters?
- Frequency
- Intensity
- Duration
What is considered when selecting practice conditions?
- Feedback
- Practice schedules
- Motivation
- Reinforcement
What is the use it or lose it principle?
An individual must use a skill otherwise they may lose the ability or have decreased ability to perform the skill
What is the use it and improve it principle?
An individual needs skilled training to improve function in a skill, improves synaptogenesis
What is the principle of task specificity?
Intervention should be specific to the task for improvement
What is the principle of repetition matters?
An individual needs to perform the skill repeatedly over time for increased improvement
What is the principle of intensity matters?
Higher intensity skilled tasks improves synapses
What is the principle of time matters?
Improvements are better if therapy is began the acute stages rather than waiting. Waiting can also increase the chances of compensatory strategies which can be difficult to unlearn
