plasticity

• A03 - SUPPORTIVE STUDY

  Maguire et al. found that the volume of grey matter in the mid posterior hippocampi of London taxi drivers’ brains was positively correlated with their time as a taxi driver and that there were significant differences between the taxi drivers’ brains and those of controls. This shows that the brain can permanently change in response to frequent exposure to a particular task.
• A03 -

  There are limits to spontaneous and functional recovery = Although after trauma the brain activates secondary neural circuits which aim to repair normal function, the brain can only ‘repair’ itself up to a specific point, after which motor therapy is needed to increase recovery rates. For example, after constraint-induced movement therapy, the motor performance of stroke patients improved significantly. Therefore, this suggests that functional recovery cannot be relied upon to reinstate normal function.
• functional recovery - healthy areas of the brain compensating for lost or damaged areas of the brain
• synaptic pruning - process by which extra neurons and synaptic connections are eliminated in order to increase efficiency of neuronal transmissions
• plasticity - brains ability to physically and functionally adapt and change in response to trauma, new experiences and learning
• axonal sprouting - formation of new synapses and strengthening of axonal connections between damaged and healthy areas