Plasticity & Functional Recovery of the Brain After Trauma

Plasticity, Functional Recovery & Ways of Studying the Brain

What is neuroplasticity?

brain's ability to adapt and change in response to experience, learning, or damage

Is the brain a static, concrete mass?

No, it is a flexible organ that responds and adapts to environmental stimuli and stressors

What is plasticity?

changes within brain structures and connections in response to learning, experience, or repeated activity

What is the reason for a buildup of grey matter in particular brain regions?

It is due to increased synaptic connections in those areas

Plasticity also involves ____ (____) _____, where frequently used synapses are strengthened and unused ones are cleared away, making the network more efficient

neural (synaptic) pruning

What are the Core Changes in Plasticity

New neural pathways
Synaptic pruning
Changes in grey matter

Maguire et al (2000)

- Aim: To investigate whether or not the hippocampus plays a role in human spatial memory

- Procedure: London taxi drivers with a range of ages and experience were the participants because their work requires extensive spatial navigational skills. A matched-pairs design: participants were age- and gender-matched with a control group, and two different types of MRI scanning were used to assess how the brains of the taxi drivers differed from the control group. It was a quasi-experiment
Results: showed significantly more grey matter in both the left and right hippocampi of the taxi drivers compared to the control group

Evaluation:
•No researcher bias
•No ethical implications
•Only observed males
•Only observed 16 matched pairs
•Nature vs. Nurture debate: did the driving influence the change in the hippocampus, or did their larger-than-average hippocampus lead them to become taxi drivers?

How is Maguire et al. an example of neuroplasticity?

Black-cab drivers spend years learning routes through central London. Their brains show increased grey matter in the posterior hippocampus, a region linked to spatial navigation