AO3 plasticity and functional recovery Flashcards
(10 cards)
RTS plasticity AND functional recovery was conducted on…
Patient EB who suffered from brain damage that resulted in the removal of his left hemisphere and therefore his language centres
Why does thw case study of EB support plasticity and functional recovery?
Because EB’s brain has experienced the recruitment of homologous areas and demonstrates the brain can adapt to produce language even when the left hemisphere is not present or functioning
Discussion point of study on patient EB
the case study on patient EB lacks population validity as it only involves one participant
Why is the study on EB only having one ppts a problem?
EB’s brain damage may have caused unique changes in the brain which may have influenced the plasticity and functional recovery of the brain
What does the low population of the study into patient EB limit?
It limits how well the research can be generalised to the wider population as different genders and age groups may experience different levels of plasticity in the brain
RTS plasticity comes from…
Maguire et al who studied the brains of London taxi drivers
What did maguire et al find?
They found that those who had been taxi drivers for a long time had a greater volume of grey matter in the area responsible for spatial and navigational skills (posterior hippocampus) in comparison to those who had been a taxi driver for a short time
Why does Maguire et al’s study support plasticity?
It suggests that the change in the structure of the brain was altered by their experience and greater knowledge of the roads
What is the practical application of research into plasticity and functional recovery?
The principles of the theory that it is possible for an individual’s brain to recover from damage through recruitment of homologous areas has led to the development of neurorehabilitation
What is neurorehabilitation?
This is where the patient practices repeatedly using the affected side of their body e.g an arm whilst restraining the unaffected arm so they can regain functioning and regain a better quality of life
