AO1

• Plasticy is the ability of the brain to adapt to situations and change its structure even to potentially regain previously lost function
• Plasticity refers to the brains ability to modify its own structure and function as a result of experience. For example, as people have new experience, nerve pathways that are used frequently develop stronger connections, whereas neurons that rarely or never used eventually die
• Research shows that plasticity occurs through many different types of experiences. For example, playing video games, or throught meditation
• Function recovery refers to the brains ability to recover mental processes that have been compromised as a result of a brain injury
• An example of function recovery is when a stroke damages brain cells, other parts sometimes take over their function
• Several functions are involved in functional recovery. For example, neuronal unmasking is where dormant synapses can be reactivated when they receive more neural input than before