plasticity

• Describes the brain's tendency to change and adapt as a result of experience and new learning.
• we have more synaptic trasnission whenwe are infants that when we are older, peaking at 15,000 by about 2-3 years old
• cognitive pruning: when we grow up, we rarely use certain connections so they delete
• plasticity can be negative - an example of this would using drugs which lowers your cognitive ability and you're synaptic transmission rates
• at any time, existing neural connections can change or new neural connections can be formed as a result of new experiences
• pruning - where connections are lost due to lack of use

  bridging - where new connections are made due to new stimuli and new use
• a donwside to plasticity is phantom leg syndrome due to the reorganisation of the somatosensory lobe