Plasticity and Functional Recovery of the brain after trauma
- Created by: Georgia O'Keeffe
- Created on: 09-05-17 17:38
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- Plasticity and Functional Recovery of the brain after trauma
- plasticity - the brain's tendency to change and adapt, functionally and physically, as a result of experience and new learning
- rarely used synaptic connections are deleted and frequently used connections are strengthened = synaptic pruning.
- Maguire (2000) found that London taxi drivers had significantly more grey matter in their hippocampus than a matched control group
- cab drivers must memorise city streets and possible routes - as a result of this learning experience, the brain is altered.
- functional recovery - a form of plasticity following damage through trauma. the brain redistributes functions usually performed by a damaged area to other undamaged area/s.
- during recovery, the brain is able to reorganise itself by forming new synaptic connections close to the area of damage
- secondary neural pathways that would not typically be used to carry out certain functions are activated to enable functioning to continue
- structural changes in the brain
- axonal sprouting: growth on new nerve endings which connect with other undamaged nerve cells to form new neuronal pathways
- reformation of blood vessels
- recruitment of homologous areas on the opposite side of the brain to perform specific tasks
- evaluation
- understanding plasticity has contributed to neurorehabilitation - physical therapy and movement therapy
- the brains ability to rewire can be negative - (Medina 2007) prolonged drug use can result in poor cognitive functioning and increased risk of dementia
- functional plasticity tends to reduce with age. the brain has a greater propensity for reorganisation
- plasticity - the brain's tendency to change and adapt, functionally and physically, as a result of experience and new learning
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