plasticity

Question 1

what is axonal sprouting

Answer 1

Undamaged axons grow new nerve endings to reconnect neurons whose links were injured or severed

Question 1

what is plasticity

Answer 1

the brain’s ability to adapt to change, be that from injury, damage due to illness or changes brought about due to learning and experience- malleability

Question 2

synaptic pruning

Answer 2

As we age, rarely used connections are deleted and frequently used connections are strengthened.

Question 3

what is structural plasticity

Answer 3

changes within brain structures

Question 4

whats an example of this

Answer 4

maguire 2000- increased grey matter build-up in the posterior hippocampus due to learning experienced over time
Such changes do not happen immediately, they develop slowly, in response to either the degree of damage or the extent of the learning/experience
The buildup of grey matter is due to the increased synaptic connectedness in the brain regions involved

Question 5

what is functional plasticity

Answer 5

brain’s ability to replace lost or damaged functions by using existing brain regions in their place

Question 6

whats an example of this

Answer 6

child who had half of her brain removed
to control her epilepsy; she can function almost completely normally after surgery as her remaining hemisphere takes over the tasks of the hemisphere which have been removed

Question 7

whats a case that shows functional recovery

Answer 7

Danelli et al. (2013) case of E.B

Question 8

what happened in this case

Answer 8

His language centres were removed, including Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas at 2 years old so immediately after surgery, EB lost all language function
However, after two years EB had recovered his language ability, even without his left hemisphere
fMRI scans showed that the right hemisphere was acting as if it was the left hemisphere in terms of language function

Question 9

recovery in younger people

Answer 9

If the recovery takes place early in life the affected person has a chance of almost full recovery

Question 10

recovery in older people

Answer 10

this is less likely due to the ageing of the brain and a decrease in synaptic activity

Question 11

what a strength

Answer 11

impressive amount of research

Question 12

what are 2 limitations (one think back to memory!)

Answer 12

HM- hippocampus was removed at 27 never recovered any functionality- his STM was affected permanently

correlational so cause and effect cannot be established- leaves unanswered questions. why does grey matter build up in specific brain regions? what other possible factors could account for the grey matter?

much of the research is nomothetic- ignores individual differences- e.g age, emotional impact may influence this.