Brain Plasticity
Background and Significance
The question concerning the plasticity of the mature human brain is one of the unsolved neuroscience issues. Neuroplasticity relates to the different levels of learning ability, ranging from cellular adjustments to large-scale adjustments in cortical remapping. Neuroplasticity is important in the overall healthy development, learning, and memorizing, as well as in the recovery from various types of brain damage. During the 20th century, most neuroscientists agreed that the brain structures were active only during early childhood (Rentería, 2012). However, this assumption has been questioned by various findings that suggest that the brain remains plastic even in adulthood. The growth of the human
…show more content…
The experimental design of the research involves the organization of an experiment to effectively test the study’s hypothesis. In addition, it involves setting up proper manipulations and measurements of an experiment. To test this specific hypothesis, the researcher will need significant resources, such as direct scanners, to test and analyze the variables. The variables in the study will include the plasticity of the human brain during different life stages and the age differences between individuals. The experimental design includes independent and dependent variables, which the researcher will thoroughly test and …show more content…
The method will help to record the probability of the occurrence of certain variables. The statistical analysis model will help to develop the causation between dependent and the independent variables during the research study. One of the most anticipated results of the research is that the data will show that the human brain is characterized by increased plasticity during the early stages of life. That is caused by the fact that the brain cells undergo a more intensive development during childhood than during adulthood. Moreover, the research results are likely to prove that the brain experiences different intensity of development during neurogenesis, maturation, and pruning (Sherstnev, Golubeva, Aleksandrov & Solov’eva, 2015). Thus, it is important to understand the various steps of brain development to identify brain plasticity. Further, it is possible that the research will prove that the brain development is affected by various environmental factors, including parental-child relationships, peer relationships, early stress, and diet among others. The potential outcomes of the research will support the idea that brain is more plastic during
Going into details of the article, I realized that the necessary information needed to evaluate the experimental procedures were not included. However, when conducting an experiment, the independent and dependent variable are to be studied before giving a final conclusion.
Xu, J., Kobayashi, S., Yamaguchi, S., Iijima, K. I., Okada, K., & Yamashita, K. (2000). Gender effects on age-related changes in brain structure. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 21(1), 112-118.
William James was conceivably the initial pioneer in addressing the topic of brain plasticity from a contemporary viewpoint, as he showed an association between the
This article is about how in order to understand human behavior on the outside of the brain, there needs to be an understanding of what occurs inside the brain. During the early twenties to one's’ forties, brain volume decreases which ultimately has a correlation with the decline in memory. This is one of the things that occurs with the human brain as age increases since those older in age have to try harder or have a decline in verbal fluency, physical activities, memory and planning or organizing activities. This is majorly for the changes in
The brain is widely studied and as early as fifteen years ago the study Rethinking the Brain made public by Families and Work institute, Neuro-Scientists thought that by birth the brain...
Although my previous two papers concerned the interplay between neurobiology and genetics, I have not quite worked the issue out to my satisfaction nor to the depth which I think the topic warrants. Therefore, I will again tackle this complex set of biological questions pertaining to the ways in which our genes shape our brains. My first paper dealt with the nature-nurture debate and its relation to the brain-behavior problem raised in class. Then, in the second paper, I moved on to a narrower issue in neurogenetics; I wrote about Fragile X Syndrome and the ways in which a specific genetic mutation can drastically change behavioral output. I would now like to enlarge the scope of this outlook on genes and the brain to encompass the topic of the evolution of the human brain. Throughout the semester, as we covered sensory input and motor output, a single neuron and complex motor symphonies, car sickness and dreaming, I have left class wondering: how are these behaviors, from the micro-actions of a neuron to the macro-actions of a human being, adaptive? How did large brains and extensive nervous systems come to be selected for? And why have humans, alone, acquired them? Some aspects of these questions seem to reside in the realm of the paleontologists, others, in the realm of the neurogeneticists. They do, however, seem to me to be central to neurobiology. For it is drilled into us that form connotes function, and, perhaps, if we come to understand how and why the human nervous system was formed, we will have a richer understanding of how and why it functions as it does.
The most stood out statement from this material for me it is the fact that the brain is enormously plastic and its structure changes with every experience. This confirms the author's
Set in the cerebral cortex sits cognition which is the ability to learn and develop solutions to problems. “Ongoing cognitive development rests on brain plasticity and its role in continuously facilitating accommodation to changing environmental
The human brain is a big, intricate—yet delicate, structure in the human body. It is the key structure in cognitive function. Any damage to the brain does not only “erase” memories but also may “deceive” the brain to erroneously remember a new object as being familiar (2010). The innovative researchers at Cambridge University investigated this phenomenon in their research on The Paradoxial False Memory for Objects after Brain Damage.
As the human body goes through different experiences, the brain grows, develops, and changes according to the environmental situations it has been exposed to. Some of these factors include drugs, stress, hormones, diets, and sensory stimuli. [1] Neuroplasticity can be defined as the ability of the nervous system to respond to natural and abnormal stimuli experienced by the human body. The nervous system then reorganizes the brain’s structure and changes some of its function to theoretically repair itself by forming new neurons. [2] Neuroplasticity can occur during and in response to many different situations that occur throughout life. Some examples of these situations are learning, diseases, and going through therapy after an injury.
The human brain is perhaps the most complex living structure known in the universe. Compared to a mammal it is almost triple the size. Whether it is brain cells or connections in the brain, the structure and functions are invariably maturing. When children are born, it is evident how smart they are but how important it is for them to continue to expand their knowledge right from the beginning. Nonetheless, the teenage years are the most important. This is when the brain finalizes the development of the brain and when children mature into adults. Although people continue to grow older, brain development slows down and eventually comes to a complete stop. From birth through the final stages of life, the brain is constantly changing and developing.
Second, they investigated the effects of parenting behaviors on brain development using a whole-brain vertex-wise approach. The researchers then investigated how brain changes associated with parenting were in turn related to adolescent functioning. The researchers came up with a hypothesis that lower frequency of aggressive maternal behavior, and a higher frequency of positive maternal behavior, would predict an exaggeration of the normal pattern of growth of cortical thickness, particularly in the prefrontal regions. Another hypothesis they came up with was that the neurodevelopmental patterns associated with parenting will, in turn, be associated with behavioral functioning during late
The human body is divided into many different parts called organs. All of the parts are controlled by an organ called the brain, which is located in the head. The brain weighs about 2. 75 pounds, and has a whitish-pink appearance. The brain is made up of many cells, and is the control centre of the body. The brain flashes messages out to all the other parts of the body.
The idea of a permanently plastic brain has not always been supported throughout time, though in the last decade, there has been increasing research supporting the idea that experiences do not just change our emotions and perceptions towards our surroundings, but they can actually change the underlying neuroanatomical structure of our
Since the beginning of humankind our brains have grown over 600ml. The history of brain development studies shows that since the beginning of humanity our brains have grown double or triple the size of the prehistoric brain. Now due to environmental variables brains are believed to have shrunk back down to the same size of humans over 2 million years ago. For millions of years humans have been curious to how our brains change over time, with these modern studies we can now have a deeper understanding of these developments. If we put theses studies to use, we may create a new future for the next generation of humans. In order to use these studies we must first fully understand them, beginning with what exactly encourages the brain to adapt and