lovirea creierului și degenerarea

Question 1

What is evidence that most capacity for change occurs in early development

Answer 1

EB
left hemisphere removed at 2.5 yo
At 4.5 yo, recovered language ability

AT 17 years:
- language normal except for dyslexic-like symptoms
- fMRI showed that right hemisphere followed left hemisphere blue-print

Question 2

what’s plasticity like in adulthood

Answer 2

adult brain is less plastic than in childhood, but change still occurs, and is influenced by environmental factors

Question 3

how can evidence about plasticity be used

Answer 3

As an intervention: to stop or reduce decline due to natural occurrences or disease

e.g. music, exercise, cognitive training

Question 4

how can environment influence brain

Answer 4

mouse with low amounts of adult neurogenesis (formation of new neurones)
- produce fewer neurones than other mice

Intervention: provide running wheel

RESULTS:
- when at risk mice had unlimited access to a running wheel, neurogenesis was equal to typical mice
- voluntary running increases neurogenesis

Question 5

what is the effect of environment (running) on cognition in mice?

Answer 5

After running at risk mice (low amount of neurogenesis) spatial learning and visual recognition equalled typical mice

Running improved performance on water maze in at risk but not typical mice after 4 weeks

After 11 weeks, running at risk mice demonstrated equivalent memory to the typical mice

Question 6

What are the conclusions of the effects of environment on brain

Answer 6

at risk mice can improve brain and behaviour through exercise

deficits in neurogenesis was overcome by exercise

Question 7

how does exercise have an effect on aged people cognitive abilities

Answer 7

124 healthy but sedentary adults 60-75 yo
walking or toning for 6m

do all exercises have the same effect?
are all cognitive abilities similarly affected?

RESULTS:
- executive functions improved for the walking group but not the toning

Question 8

what effect does exercise have on cognition and brain

Answer 8

70 sedentary adults aged 55-85 to
walking or stretching for 1 year
white matter scans before and after training

RESULTS:
cognitive: walking seems to improve executive functions

brain: walking seems to be associated with better white matter integrity

Question 9

what’s adult plasticity like in musicians

Answer 9

musical training is protective against age-related decline
with increase in age, left inferior frontal gyrus decreases

Question 10

what is experimental study on the effect on music on aged participants

Answer 10

31 adults aged 60-85 yo

No intervention or 6m piano training
Tested pre- and post-intervention and after 3 months

RESULTS:
Improvement in executive function in the piano intervention group

Question 11

what are the disadvantages of this study

Answer 11

intensive intervention, 3h practice per week is a lot

what were the no intervention group doing

is the intervention changing behaviour through other means

Question 12

what is the effect of interventions after traumatic brain injury

Answer 12

after traumatic brain injury, rats were placed in standard or enriched environments

enriched environment: motor and tactile stimuli (toys, running wheel, tunnels) and olfactory stimuli (different bedding types)

size of brain lesion was measured

14 days post traumatic brain injury, enriched animals had 2-fold smaller lesion areas

SO
environment influenced brain tissue recovery

Question 13

can exercise improve recovery in humans

Answer 13

18-40 yo with mild traumatic brain injury

1. aerobic exercise
2. non-aerobic exercise
3. non-injured no-intervention groups

daily exercise for 1 week

RESULTS
both exercise groups showed reduced symptom severity over time
no difference between exercise types

Question 14

what are incidental findings

Answer 14

2000 people
found asymptomatic brain infarcts in 7.2% of people

These are areas of tissue damage in the brain caused by a disruption of blood flow, typically due to a blockage or narrowing of blood vessels.

Question 14

what impact does exercise have on people with degenerative conditions such as different types of dementia

Answer 14

degenerative conditions - deterioration and loss of function in the organs

ppl with mild cognitive impairment and partners took part in 4 of 5 behavioural interventions

follow up 18 m after

withholding yoga led to greatest decline in functional abilities
withholding computerised cognitive training or memory support system training also impacted decline

little impact of withholding social groups, wellness information

Question 15

what are other incidental findings

Answer 15

24yo woman in china
reported nausea and dizziness
on scanning, she had no cerebellum

cerebellum:
- coordinates voluntary movements
- processes sensory information and judges time
- involved in non-verbal learning and memory

managing without a cerebellum until 24 yo suggests that brain has learnt to cope - plasticity

Question 16

how does brain adapt to these differences

Answer 16

people may use different brain regions or networks than typically used