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BIOPSYCHOLOGY- plasticity and functional recovery - Coggle Diagram
BIOPSYCHOLOGY- plasticity and functional recovery
brain plasticity
means that the brain adapts in both its function and structure as a result of a change in the environment. these changes could be due to damage or to meet the cognitive demands of learning new skills
reasons for plasticity:
learning new skills
result of developmental changes
response to direct trauma to an area of the brain
response to indirect effects of damage like swelling or bleeding from a stroke
functional recovery
functions that were performed by areas of the brain that are lost (neuronal cell death) or damaged are performed by the undamaged areas of the brain- functional reorganisation
synaptic pruning
synapses that are used frequently become stronger over time, but unused synaptic connections are lost. this makes the brain a more efficient communication system over time
axonal sprouting
existing neurones growing new axons to connect to ajacent neurones. neural recognition is the growth of new neuronal cells
denervation supersensitivity-
to compensate for the loss of axons in a pathway the remaining axons become more sensitive (more likely to fire). this can result in side effects like pain
factors affecting functional recovery-
age- children have the best abiity to recover, then young adults
gender- women are more able to recover from brain damage
rehabilitative therapy- focused effort results in improvement
constraint induced therapy-
stopping patients from using coping strategies like body language for communication or using undamaged limbs which forces them to improve via functional reorganisation
research evaluation brain plasticity
POSITIVE- Maguire et al.
structural mri brain scans of 16 male london taxi drivers compared to the brain scans of 16 non taxi driver controls of the same age and gender
posterior hippocampi in london taxi drivers found to be much larger than the controls. also, size of the posterior hippocampi was positively correlated to the amount of time spent working as a taxi driver
suggests the physical structure of the brain is plastic- able to reconfigure itself to better adapt to psychological demands- in this case, to improve memory formation
POSITIVE- objective scientific measurement like MRI
NEGATIVE- issues with using a correlational design
research evaluation functional recovery after trauma
POSITIVE- Danielli et al did a case study of EB. at age of 2, had a huge tumour removed from his LH which resulted basically in the loss of the whole hemisphere. removed language centres of Broca's and Wernicke's areas. Immediately after surgery he lost all language ability but after 2 years of recovery he had all language ability back. even without his LH he developed normally as he aged besides some dyslexia like symptoms. researchers showed from FMRI scans that the RH followed a "left-like blueprint" for language.
This research suggests the brain can adapt and recover after significant damage, especially early in life with the RH usually taking roles normally performed by the LH
general evaluations of plasticity and functional recovery
POSITIVE- practical applications. research has practical benefits. useful in rehabilitatibve therapy, helping people return to lives and productive work, ultimately benefiting wider economy
POSITIVE- research on people recovering lost function can help psychologists understand more about the functions of regions in the brain that were initially damaged
NEGATIVE- individual differences. Mathias did a meta-analysis and demonstrated that IQ and educational background are positively correlated with better outcomes after traumatic brain injury, suggesting some individuals have a greater cognitive reserve which helps in recovery
phineas gage
tamping iron entered left side of face from the bottom up, travelled behind his left eye and exited skull. could walk and talk within minutes of the accident. he vomited which led to a teachcup sized amount of brain fall onto the floor from the top of his head.
gage was considered fully recovered and reapplied for his previous job role however, his contractors used to see him as efficient and capable but observed drastic changes in his personality. He was ill-tempered and swore a lot which he'd never done previously. Accounts would imply that injury led to a loss of social inhibition- he behaved inappropriately.
personality changes were assumed to be as a result of damage to the left frontal region of the brain
neuroimaging techniques were used to reconstruct the injury years later and found that damage from the rod invollved the left and right prefrontal cortices which are responsible for emotional processing and rational decision making- so we can assume he had defecits in these areas