The brain recovery - Plasticity and Functional recovery

Define brain plasticity

The notion of cognitive mapping against localisation

Explain what happens when the brain is damaged and how it can change

When the brain is damaged from illness or an accident eg. Stroke, the other parts of the brain can often adapt through learning and experience to recover that function elsewhere.

This is because when we are younger (2-3) we have around 15,000 synaptic connections in the brain and as we age the ones we dont use are cut and others strengthened - synaptic pruning. This may occur in adult hood if needing to rewire the function of the brain.

Explain one piece of research into plasticity

1. Maguire - Did a study on London Taxi drivers who had to take a test called ‘The knowledge’ where they name streets. There was a correlation between

   • the amount of grey matter in the postier hippocampus (where navigation and space processing occurs) and the hours revising

Explain 3 more pieces of research into plasticity

1. Kuhn - found that playing mario cart for 30 mins for 3 months increased grey matter in certain brain areas

2. mechelli - brain scans on bilingual people showed more grey matter in parietal area than others.

3. Draganski -medical students brains 3 months after a medical exam had more grey matter in hippocampus and parietal lobes than 3 months before

What is functional recovery of the brain

Functional recovery of the brain is the healthy brains ability to recover after trauma by unaffected parts learning the roles of the damaged parts and taking on that function. This may require rehabilitative therapy and may be quick to start and then slow.

How does your brain recover from trauma?

The brain makes new neurological pathways of synaptic connections near to the damage using secondary neurons that wouldn’t normally be activated for that role. Types of recovery:

1. Axonal sprouting - new neurological pathways of synaptic connections near to the damage to connect to other neurons using secondary neurons that wouldn’t normally be activated for that role.

2. reformation of blood vessels

3. recruitment of homologous area by other side of the brain to take on that role

Research into functional recovery of the brain

Laura Danelli

She investigated a 17 year old italian patient called EB who had whole left hemi removed at 2. By 5 he improved and by 17 after intensive rehabilitation his speech in everyday is pretty much normal.

Give 1 strength of the theory of functional recovery and brain plasticity - RIA

1. Practical application

   Because of research into these areas we know that after a few weeks the brain recovery slows and therefore this has helped the understanding of when to introduce physical neurorehabilitation of brain scans while doing a task eg. electrically stimulating the brain. This means that we know that in order to recover the brain needs help.

Give 3 negatives of the theory into functional recovery and brain plasticity RIA

1. Negative plasticity - the brains rewiring of itself after trauma isn’t always good. Eg. 60-80% of Amputees experience phantom limb where they feel painful sensations in the limbs as if it was still there. This is due to the rearrangement of the somatosensory area.

2. individual differences - age and gender

   Women often recover better from brain damage as their brains are less lateralised

   Marquez de la plata found that 40+ patients recovered slower than younger patients with brain damage.

   but… Bezzola found that in 40-60 year old that 40hrs of golf increased motor neural representation

3. individual differences - education

   Schneider found that those longer in education have a higher chnace of brain recovery and disability free.