Tutorial 09 Flashcards
Neuroplasticity is …
Strengthening, pruning, neurogenesis, reorganization
What was discovered in the london taxis drivers‘ hippocampi study? And what was the method?
Researchers used MRI scans to compare between London taxi drivers with non-taxi drivers
-> taxi drivers had larger posterior hippocampi (linked to spatial memory), which grew with years of driving, while their anterior hippocampi were smaller
Why are the findings of the london taxi drivers study important?
- experience-dependent plasticity
- functional specialization
- real-world applications
Experience- dependent plasticity
Brain physically changes with long-term experiences
Functional specialization (hippocampus)
Different hippocampus regions have distinct roles
What are the real-world applications of the findings of the taxi study?
Supports targeted learning, therapy and development
Structural Plasticity
Physical changes in the brain’s structure
Functional Plasticity
Reorganization of brain functions in
response to experience
Short term plasticity
Immediate, temporary changes in synaptic strength
long term plasticity
Enduring changes in synaptic strength and structure
Mechanisms of structural plasticity
● Neurogenesis
● Synaptic remodeling
● Dendritic branching
Mechanisms of Functional Plasticity
Neural pathway reorganization
Mechanisms of short term plasticity
● Synaptic facilitation
● Synaptic depression
Mechanisms of long term plasticity
● Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)
● Long-Term Depression (LTD)
Definition of Hebbian Plasticity
Change of the synaptic strength (+/-) depending on the level of neuronal activity after stimulation
