Plasticity and Functional Recovery

• What is plasticity?


  Brain’s tendency to change and adapt as a result of experience and new learning. Generally involved the growth of new connections
• What is synaptic pruning?


  When rarely used connections are deleted and frequently used connections are strengthened
• Who conducted research into plasticity?

  Maguire et al
• What is functional recovery?


  A form of plasticity. Following damage through trauma, the brain’s ability to redistribute or transfer functions usually performed by a damaged area to other undamaged area
• Term used when secondary neural pathways that would not typically be used to carry out certain functions are activated?

  Unmasking
• What are the structural changes in the brain that can help unmasking?

  Axonal sprouting, denervation supersensitivity and recruitment of homologous areas
• What is axonal sprouting?

  The growth of new nerve endings which connect with other undamaged nerve cells to form new neuronal pathways
• What is denervation supersensitivity?


  When axons that do similar job become activated to a higher level to compensate for the ones that are lost.
• What is recruitment of homologous areas?

  One hemisphere of the brain compensates for damage on the other side by taking over similar functions
• One limitation of plasticity is that it may have negative behavioural consequences
• Medina et al. found that the brain’s adaptation to prolonged drug use leads to poorer cognitive functioning in later life as well as an increased risk of dementia
• Understanding process of functional recovery has helped in what field?

  Neurorehabilitation
• One strength of brain plasticity is that it may be a life long ability
• Who found evidence of brain plasticity being a lifelong ability?


  Bezzola et al.
• Bezzola et al. found that 40 hours of golf training led to changes in the motor cortex of participants aged 40 to 60
• What is a limitation of functional recovery?


  Individuals with less education are less likely to fully recover from brain injury
• Who found evidence of education being a factor in functional recovery?

  Schneider et al.
• Example of brain plasticity?

  Synaptic pruning