Plasticity Of The Brain Afer Trauma

Question 1

What is brain plasticity?

Answer 1

The brain’s ability to change and adapt, functionally and physically, due to experience and learning.

Question 2

What is synaptic pruning and when does it occur?

Answer 2

Synaptic pruning is the process where unused neural connections are eliminated and frequently used ones are strengthened. It occurs as we age, following a peak of synaptic connections in infancy.

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Question 3

What did Maguire et al. (2000) find about London taxi drivers’ brains?

Answer 3

Taxi drivers had more grey matter in the posterior hippocampus, which correlated with time spent driving—suggesting experience-based plasticity.

Question 4

What did Kuhn et al. (2014) discover in video game players?

Answer 4

Playing Super Mario for 30 minutes daily over 2 months increased grey matter in areas linked to strategic planning, working memory, and motor skills.

Question 5

How did Davidson et al. (2004) show meditation affects the brain?

Answer 5

Tibetan monks had more gamma wave activity than controls, both during and before meditation—indicating long-term meditation leads to permanent brain changes.

Question 6

What did Lazar et al. (2005) find about experienced meditators’ cortices?

Answer 6

Experienced meditators had a thicker cortex in regions associated with attention and sensory processing, supporting plasticity