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
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brain is a complex process that includes both genetic and experiential factors. Brains exposed to different external factors, such as diet, could develop in various ways. This paper seeks to analyze the unsolved neuroscience question pertaining to the plasticity in the cerebral structures of the mature human brain. According to the research study conducted by Panula, Sundvik, and Karlstedt (2014), plastic adjustments in the brain depend on age. At the same time, Rentería (2012) argued that the plasticity of the brain depends on the life experiences of people. Thus, neuroplasticity remains an unsolved neuroscience issue due to the lack of definite response. Main Hypothesis The main hypothesis is that the human brain is more plastic during childhood than during adulthood.
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…
analyze. Rationale The experimental design tests the main hypothesis by establishing a relationship between independent and dependent variables. It involves confining various variables into a controlled experiment to establish causation between them. Most importantly, the random assignment of subjects to control conditions is useful in distributing the qualities of individuals to various participants. The significance of the experimental design is that it helps to achieve various research goals, including the description, explanation, prediction, and control of behavior and mental processes (Lindman, 2012). In the controlled environment, the researcher will be able to test the effects of independent variables on dependent variables. As a result, the researcher will be able to understand how age differences affect the plasticity of the human brain. Therefore, the experimental design can be used to effectively respond to and deal with the research questions. Methods The general method the researcher will use to obtain the required data is the conduction of a literature review of the existing works on brain development and neuroplasticity. The literature review methodology is crucial in obtaining the adequate data on the issue under study. It will provide the researcher with strong background information on the brain development process. The literature review provides the researcher with the appropriate material and information from different scientists and sources to support the hypothesis. In addition, the researcher will conduct a descriptive statistical analysis of the research problem. The statistical analysis will involve collecting data through the administration of questionnaires and surveys. Questionnaires and surveys will help in the information collection, which will promote the achievement of research objectives and goals. These methods would be important in obtaining accurate and reliable data to support the research arguments. Anticipated Results The data obtained will be analyzed using descriptive statistical models.
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
childhood. Problems and Pitfalls The proposed experiment design of testing the causation between independent and dependent variables may fail to include certain significant factors that affect the brain plasticity. The experimental design only seeks to develop a model of two different sets of variables for comparison purposes (Lindman, 2012). It is aimed to develop a relationship between the variables to solve the research problem of brain plasticity. Thus, this design is unable to consider certain major important factors, such as environmental factors, which affect the brain development. In addition, the researcher faces the problem of data collection, which is expected to be time-consuming. Alternative approaches, such as qualitative research method, would be useful for accommodating all information received from the respondents and literature review. In spite of that, the experimental design is still useful in understanding the unsolved neuroscience question of brain plasticity.
As every child grows up in a different environment, not all have a safe one to grow up in and as a result everything that surrounds them becomes apart of the clarity that their mind incorporates and becomes apart of that child 's behavior of way. In terms of brain development children or teens often listen, and see what is around them, it is also said, by researchers of the National Institute of Health, that in recent studies that were made that in teen years massive loss of brain tissue...
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.
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
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.
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...
Neuroplasticity Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to remap itself in response to experience. The theory was first proposed by Psychologist William James who stated “Organic matter, especially nervous tissue, seems endowed with a very extraordinary degree of plasticity". Simply put, the brain has the ability to change. He used the word plasticity to identify the degree of difficulty involved in the process of change. He defined plasticity as ".the possession of a structure weak enough to yield to an influence, but strong enough not to yield all at once" (James, 1890).
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.
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 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.
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 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.
Casey, B. J., Jones, R. M., & Hare, T. (2008). The adolescent brain. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1124, 111–126. Eaton Reyna, V.F. and Rivers, S.E. (2008).
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.
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