A01

• What is brain plasticity?

  Refers to the brain's ability to modify its own structure and function as a result of experience and new learning
• What is functional recovery?

  - A form of plasticity

  - Refers to the recovery of abilities and mental processes that have been compromised as a result of brain injury or disease
• What is synaptic pruning?

  With age rarely used synaptic connections in the brain are deleted and frequently used connections strengthened = example of plasticity of brain
• What are 3 structural changes the brain undergoes to help it recover after trauma?

  1. Axonal sprouting

  2. Reformation of blood vessels

  3. Recruitment of homologous (similar) areas on the opposite hemisphere
• State two examples which show support for neural plasticity

  - Maguire et al. (2000) = London cabbie drivers

  - Davidson et al. (2004) = Tibetan monks meditating
• State an example which shows support for functional recovery after trauma

  Patient J.W.
• How does patient J.W. show evidence for functional recovery of the brain?

  He developed the capacity to speak out of the right hemisphere with the result that he can now speak about information present to the left or right brain
• Describe the study of Maguire et al.

  - Cabbie drivers required to learn all city streets and possible routes in London for a test called 'the knowledge'

  - Their brains were scanned using MRI

  - Found cabbie drivers had more grey matter in the posterior hippocampus than control group

  - This part of the brain is associated with development of spatial and navigational skills
• Describe the study of Davidson et al. (2008)

  - Compared Tibetan monks with student volunteers

  - Both fitted with electrical sensors during meditation

  - Greater activation of gamma waves in monks