Plasticity And Funtional Recovery Flashcards
Plasticity
• During infancy, the brain experience a rapid growth in the number of synaptic connections it has, peaking at approximately 15,000 by the age of 2-3 years old.
• This equates to twice as many as there are in the adult brain. As we age rarely used connections are deleted and frequently used connections are strengthened.
• This shows that the brain is in a continual state of change from growth in early years to change and refinement in adulthood as we learn and experience
How does plasticity work
• This describes the brains tendency to change and adapt
(functionally and physically) as a result of experience and new learning. Plasticity means malleable, able to change. It was previously thought to occur only in babies and children (the most rapid time of change)but now accepted it occurs in adults too.
• Each time you learn something new, synaptic connections and neural pathways are formed.
• The less you use a neural pathway the weaker it gets. It eventually gets deleted known as
synaptic pruning.
• This demonstrates how the brain is constantly changing and how we learn and forget.
• This shows that the brain is in a continual state of change from growth in early years to change and refinement in adulthood as we learn and experience-there are many different types of experience that can do this.
Draganski
Draganski (2006) investigated medical students revising for exams.
Students were given periodical MRI scans.
They found during intense periods of revision and exams the grey matter increased significantly, having a larger parietal cortex and hippocampus.
Three months later no further structural changes were seen.
Can it be negative
Plasticity can also be negative. Examples of this would include: prolonged drug use leading to poorer cognitive functioning and old age being associated with dementia .Both are due to changes in the brain.
Functional recovery
Transfer of functions from a damaged area of the brain to an undamaged area
• 1960’s - researchers started to study stroke victims who were able to regain brain function
• A stroke damages/destroys brain cells
• The brain can re-wire itself over time so some level of function can be regained
• If a part of the brain has been damaged/destroyed other parts of the brain can take over functions that were lost
• Neurons next to the damaged brain areas can form new circuits
Functional recovery after trauma
• Research has shown women recover quicker than men
• It’s a commonly accepted view that functional plasticity reduces with age (Huttenlocher, 2002).
• According to this view, the only option following traumatic brain injury beyond childhood is to develop compensatory behavioural strategies to work around the deficit (such as seeking social support or to develop strategies to deal with cognitive deficits).
• However, studies have suggested that even abilities commonly thought to be fixed in childhood can still be modified in adults with intense retraining.
• Despite these indications of adult plasticity, Elbert et al (2001) conclude that the capacity for neural reorganization is much greater in children than in adults, as demonstrated by the extended practice that adults require in order to produce changes.
