functional recovery after trauma

• transfer of functions from a damaged area of the brain after trauma, to other undamaged areas
• parts of brain can adapt to compensate for damaged areas
• functional recovery - new neural pathways can develop (neural plasticity)
• spontaneous recovery - healthy brain may take over functions of damaged areas
• brain ‘rewires‘ by building new connections around damaged areas
• process of rewiring

  1. axonal sprouting
  2. reformation of blood vessels
  3. recruitment of homologous areas of the brain
  4. cross modal reassignment
  5. map expansion
  6. compensatory masquerade
• 1 axonal sprouting

  growth of new endings that connect to undamaged nerve cells
• 2. reformation of blood vessels 


  regrowth and healing
• 3. recruitment of homologous areas of the brain

  damaged areas can recruit similar areas to take over the function
• 4. cross modal reassignment

  when a brain region does not receive sensory data as expected

  this brain region may become repurposed for another sense

  eg how blind people ‘see’ braiile
• 5. map expansion 


  brain notices that a certain area gets extensive use so it expands to area - detected through brain imaging technology
• 6. compensatory masquerade

  brain reuses a component to conduct a mental operation rather than what it would typically do