Neuroplasticity

Describe Neuroplasticity and its types

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. The two main types are cortical remapping, which allows different brain regions to adapt and adjust when injured a specific part of the brain, and synaptic plasticity, which involves physical changes in the brain due to learning or experience.

What is the Main study

The main study is the Draganski study

Describe the Draganksi study

The Draganski study aimed to explore the validity of Neuroplasticity and the theory that each part of the brain has its own predetermined function.

Procedure

Findings

Draganski aimed to do this through exploring the correlation between juggling and the increase/ development of grey matter in the brain. Having a higher amount of grey matter can often be associated and proven to mean  having a higher amount of cognitive processing and intellectual ability available. Draginski had a control group which were not to do anything and an experimental group which were asked to regularly exercise in juggling. Both groups were asked to continue to do this for 6 months (the experiment group were asked to stop juggling at the three month mark), with an MRI at the start of the experiment, at the 3 month mark and at the end of the experiment ( 6 months ). While the control group did not have a notable change in grey matter at the end of the experiment, the experimental group did. The MRI conducted at the 3 month point showed a substantial increase in grey matter. From this 3 month mark to the 6th, the experimental group had a large decline in grey matter.

Explain findings

This is likely due to the pause in juggling. This demonstrates neuroplasticity as the participants juggling resulted on a general shape change in the brain. The decrease in brain structure as a result of the pause also demonstrates this idea of the brain's dynamic and changing nature.

Critical Thinking (postives)

Longitudinal, easily replicatable, cause and effect established

Counterclaim

However, other theories associated to the brain and its structure oppose Neuroplasticity (weak localisation), for example strong localisation. Strong localisation is a theory that states each part of the brain has its own predetermined function and any lacks or misses could affect its full potential if harmed.

Problems with Neuroplasticity and the study

This is demonstrated through some weaknesses of the Draginski study, a negative being the cost of producing such a study as MRI’s are expensive to do and complicated to replicate with a large sample. This has resulted in a smaller sample size with the Draginski study and reduced the overall generalisability of the study and theory. 

Another negative is the ecological validity in this experiment. The participants could have not been doing as much juggling as another as it was not accurately specified. For example, one participant might have done 1 hour while one might have forgotten and done none. This can result in issues and outliers when evaluating the results.

Introduce study

A study that explores this idea of strong localisation is the Henry Molaison case study. This case study involved an individual that needed surgery on the hippocampus region of his brain as a result of severe epilepsy. This is different to the Draganski study that explores synaptic plasticity compared to HM which involves neural pruning.  The HM study demonstrates that each part of the brain has its own function, such as memory retrieval, which breside in the ability of the hippocampus.

Procedure and findings

HM was placed in a surgery where a substantial amount of his brain was removed. After this surgery, HM suffered sever anterograde amnesia (a problem with retrieving memory and remembering). He could also not store any new memories due to this. This demonstrates strong localisation as the removal of the hippocampus resulted in a clear and very substantial change in the brain and its behaviour, demonstrating the brain's inability to adapt, demonstrate plasticity and take responsibility of problems.

Critical thinking

Drastic memory issues after the removal of the hippocampus

Case study

Rare and ungeneralisability

Describe some of the difficulties trying to investigate neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity is extremely hard to quantify due to the complex and undiscovered nature of the brain. As we do not know completely everything about the brain and how it works, it is hard to label something as proven and disproven without strong evidence. Due to this, Neuroplasticity and both types of localisation are hard to be labelled.