plasticity and functional recovery

• functional recovery


  an example of neural plasticity, involving the transfer of functions from a damaged area of the brain after trauma, to other undamaged areas.
• spontaneous recovery


  neuroscientists suggest that functional recovery occurs quickly after trauma and then slows down which then may require rehabilitation therapy.
• the process of functional recovery


  the brain rewires and reorganises itself by forming new synaptic connections, close to the area of damage, through the process of neuronal unmasking or the use of stem cells.
• neuronal unmasking


  dormant synapses open connections to compensate for a nearby damaged area of the brain.
• the use of stem cells in functional recovery

  unspecialised cells that have the potential to carry out different functions may aid functional recovery by either: implanting into the brain, directly replacing dead cells OR secreting growth factors that rescue injured cells.
• brain plasticity


  refers to the brains ability to change and adapt due to experience, which includes everything outside the body e.g. driving a car. It involves synaptic connections and neural pathways continually forming and altering.
• example of brain plasticity during infancy

  during infancy, the brain experiences a rapid growth in synaptic connections.
• synaptic pruning


  as we age, rarely used connections are deleted and frequently used connections are strengthened.
• Key study - evidence for plasticity: Maguire et al AIM

  to examine whether structural changes could be detected in the brain of people with extensive experience of spatial navigation.
• Key study - evidence for plasticity: Maguire et al METHOD

  structural MRI scans were obtained with 16 right handed male london taxi drivers participating; all driving for more than 1.5 years. Scans of 50 healthy non-taxi driver males were included for comparison. The mean age between the groups didn't differ.
• Key study - evidence for plasticity: Maguire et al RESULTS

  1. increased grey matter was found in the brains of taxi drivers compared to controls in 2 brain regions: right and left hippocampi. The increased volume was found in the rear hippocampus.
  2. changes with navigation experience - a. correlation was found between the amount of time spent as a taxi driver and volume in the right, rear hippocampus.
• Key study - evidence for plasticity: Maguire et al CONCLUSION


  the results provide evidence for structural differences between the hippocampi of london taxi drivers and control partcipants, suggesting that extensive practise with spatial navigation affects the hippocampus.