Plasticity and Functional Recovery

• Maguire et al


  Studied brains of London taxi drivers

  Found a positive correlation of increasing grey matter and how long they've worked for

  Concluded that complex spatial representation, with expert navigation can lead to structural changes in hippocampus
• Functional recovery definition


  the ability of the brain to transfer the functions of areas damaged, to other healthy parts of the brain
• Axonal sprouting 


  Helps functional recovery

  Formation of new synapses and strengthening of axonal connections between damaged and healthy areas
• Reformation of blood vessels

  Helps functional recovery

  Activated areas experience a higher blood deoxygenation level
• Recruiting homologous areas on the opposite side of the brain


  Helps functional recovery
• Strengths of neuroplasticity

  Evidence supporting the positive and negative effects - Ramachandran

  Cognitive reserve may increase the rate of functional recovery - the level of education a person has attained and how long they have been in education. Research suggests that an increased cognitive reserve increases the likelihood of making a disability-free recovery

  Age - Child brains are constantly adapting to new learning. Older people with mild memory loss can regain function
• Limitation of neuroplasticity

  There are limits to spontaneous and functional recovery - the brain can only ‘repair’ itself up to a specific point, after which motor therapy or electrical stimulation is needed to increase recovery rates.