Brain Plasticity+functional recovery after trauma

Question 1

Brain plasticity

Answer 1

-Brain plasticity is the ability of the brain to change and adapt as a result of learning and experience or following damage
-Brain plasticity helps individuals recover better from the indirect effects of brain injuries

Question 2

Examples of brain plasticity

Answer 2

-New synaptic connections can form in the brain (synaptogenesis)
-Frequently used neural pathways are strengthened
-Unused neural pathways can be eliminated (synaptic pruning) which allows the brain to be more efficient

Question 3

Factors affecting recovery

Answer 3

-age
-cognitive reserve-rehabilitation therapy

Question 4

Functional recovery after trauma

Answer 4

-Functional recovery after trauma refers to the brain’s ability to recover function after a brain injury or trauma

Question 5

Functional recovery from trauma recovery mechanisms

Answer 5

RECOVERY MECHANISMS
-Neural unmasking: dormant synapses become active
-Axon sprouting: growth of new nerve endings to connect to other neurones
-Recruitment of homologous areas: similar areas in the opposite hemisphere of the brain take over lost functions

Question 6

Research support for functional recovery after trauma Danelli (2013) EB case study

Answer 6

-Danelli et al. conducted a case study of a 14 year old boy called E.B
-At two years old, E.B had his language centers removed (Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area) in order to remove a tumour in his left hemisphere
-Immediately after surgery he had lost all language function, but just two years later, he had recovered his language ability, even without his left hemisphere
-fMRI scans showed that similar areas in the right hemisphere had taken over the lost language function
-This study demonstrates functional recovery and also suggests that the earlier the damage occurs, the more likely the affected person is to recover

Question 7

Support for research into brain plasticity (real-world application neurorehabilitaiton)

Answer 7

-Research into brain plasticity has led to a number of useful treatments. For example, neurorehabilitation helps the recovery of people with brain injuries or strokes
-This involves therapy and brain testing to try and form new synaptic connections in the brain

Question 8

Maguire et al (2000) taxi drivers real world support for brain plasticity

Answer 8

-Maguire et al. (2000) found that London taxi drivers have a significantly larger hippocampus (associated with spatial memory) compared to a control group
-The longer they had been driving, the more developed this area was
-This shows that brain plasticity occurs as a result of environmental demands, providing real world support for brain plasticity

Question 9

Negative evaluation for brain plasticity and functional recovery(HM)

Answer 9

-Research has shown that brain plasticity and functional recovery after trauma does not apply to everyone
-For example in the case of HM (who had his hippocampus removed at 27) he never recovered functionality; his memory (especially his short term memory) was permanently damaged

Question 10

Negative evaluation for brain plasticity (does not account for individual differences)

Answer 10

-The theory of brain plasticity does not provide a full explanation for how some people recover faster than others after a brain injury
-Factors such as age, cognitive reserve, and mental stimulation, play a role in recovery outcomes (Schneider et al. 2014)
-This suggests that the theory of brain plasticity is overly simplistic and does not account for individual differences