is is the ability of the brain to reorganize neural pathways when new learning is acquired.
| Brain plasticity is a term which is used to refer the brain's unique ability to constantly change, grow, and remap itself over the course of a lifetime. The “plastic” in this sense refers to “moldable,” rather than to the family of products derived from petrochemicals. This distinctive trait makes the brain a very valuable organ, as it can constantly adapt itself to deal with new input and information. All animals possess brain plasticity, to some extent, although most studies have focused specifically on the workings of the human brain. There are three different types of brain plasticity. The first occurs when infants are born and start developing into children. Studies have shown that the immature brain grows and creates neural networks at an unprecedented rate, as the brain is flooded with new sensory input from the outside world. The second type occurs over the course of a lifetime, as the brain changes with age to reflect new experiences and events. Additionally, the brain demonstrates tremendous plasticity in the wake of injury. Without plasticity, the brain would remain static, frozen at a particular point in time. Brain plasticity allows the brain to do everything from learn how to speak to refining physical movements such as those associated with playing a musical instrument. Every time the brain encounters information, it reworks itself to accommodate it, and creates a map of the information it contains so that it can readily retrieve information when it is needed. People always need to be able to store and interpret new information, making brain plasticity critical to function at all ages. In addition to reworking itself to store information and organize it effectively, the brain can also repair itself, to some extent. When an area of the brain is damaged, the activities associated with that region will sometimes move to another area of the brain, allowing the person to recover functionality. This type of brain plasticity is critical for people recovering from brain injuries and neurological disorders, as the damage may be permanent, but it can be possible to mitigate the effects. In addition, plasticity of Learning and Memory; it was once believed that as we aged, the brain's networks became fixed. In the past two decades, however, an enormous amount of research has revealed that the brain never stops changing and adjusting. Learning, as defined the ability to acquire new knowledge or skills through instruction or experience. Memory is the process by which that knowledge is retained over time. The capacity of the brain to change with learning is plasticity. So how does the brain change with learning? According to, there appear to be at least two types of modifications that occur in the brain with learning: A change in the internal structure of the neurons, the most notable being in the area of synapses. An increase in the number of synapses between neurons. Initially, newly learned data are "stored" in short-term memory, which is a temporary ability to recall a few pieces of information. Some evidence supports the concept that short-term memory depends upon electrical and chemical events in the brain as opposed to structural changes such as the formation of new synapses. One theory of short-term memory states that memories may be caused by ?reverberating? neuronal circuits -- that is, an incoming nerve impulse stimulates the first neuron which stimulates the second, and so on, with branches from the second neuron synapsing with the first. After a period of time, information may be moved into a more permanent type of memory, long-term memory, which is the result of anatomical or biochemical changes that occur in the brain (Tortora and Grabowski, 1996).Reference: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-brain-plasticity.htm http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/plast.html |
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