Plasticity and Functional Recovery

• What does plasticity describe in the context of the brain?

  The brain's ability to change and adapt as a result of experience or learning
• What is functional recovery in relation to plasticity?

  A form of plasticity where the brain redistributes functions from damaged areas to undamaged areas
• What does the term "rewiring the brain" refer to?

  The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections
• What does the term plasticity imply about the brain's development throughout life?

  • The brain can change throughout a person's life
  • Rapid growth in synaptic connections occurs during infancy
  • Synaptic pruning strengthens used connections and deletes unused ones
  • Plasticity is easier in children but can also occur in adults
• What did Maguire (2000) find in his study of taxi drivers?

  Taxi drivers had more grey matter in the hippocampus than non-taxi drivers
• What was the correlation found in Maguire's study?

  There was a positive correlation between the length of time in the job and hippocampal grey matter
• What limitation does Maguire's study have regarding causation?

  The study is correlational, so a causal link cannot be demonstrated
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of Maguire's study?

  Strengths:

  • Good design with a control group
  • Scientific, objective measurements

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Issues with cause and effect
  • Participants weren't tested before "the knowledge"
• What did Kuhn et al (2014) study involve?

  A comparison between a control group and a group trained on Super Mario for 2 months
• What was the outcome of Kuhn et al's study regarding grey matter?

  There was an increase in grey matter in brain areas like the cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum
• What skills did Kuhn et al's study suggest were improved through game training?

  Spatial navigation, working memory, and motor performance
• How does the brain recover from trauma?

  • Transfer of functions to undamaged areas (neural reorganisation)
  • Growth of new neurons and connections (neural regeneration)
• What structural changes occur during functional recovery?

  • Axonal Sprouting: growth of new nerve endings
  • Neuronal Unmasking: activation of dormant synapses
  • Reformation of blood vessels
  • Recruitment of similar areas in the opposite hemisphere
• What happened to EB in the case study regarding his brain?

  EB had his entire left brain hemisphere removed at age two and a half
• What was the outcome of EB's rehabilitation?

  EB gradually recovered his language but had some minor grammatical problems
• What does EB's case study support regarding functional recovery?


  It supports that other parts of the brain can compensate for damaged areas
• What are the practical applications of plasticity research?

  • Contributes to neurorehabilitation
  • Physical therapy may be required for improvement
  • Suggests intervention is needed for complete recovery
• What did Hubel and Wiesel's animal research demonstrate?

  That the visual cortex can process information from an open eye after one eye is sewn shut
• What is a limitation of Hubel and Wiesel's study?

  It is considered unethical and should not be generalized to humans
• What are the negative aspects of brain plasticity?

  • 60-80% of amputees experience Phantom Limb Syndrome
  • Sensations in the missing limb are due to cortical reorganisation
• What factors affect the plasticity of the brain?

  • Functional plasticity tends to reduce with age
  • Educational attainment influences recovery after injury
  • Bezzola (2012) showed that training can produce neural changes in older adults
  • Schneider (2014) found a correlation between education and disability-free recovery