A-Level Psychology (AQA)

Topic Summaries

Biopsychology

Plasticity and functional recovery after trauma

  • Plasticity: the brain’s ability to change and adapt its structure based on experience and new learning.
  • Synaptic pruning: during infancy, over 15,000 synaptic connections are created, which is twice as many as the adult brain. Synaptic connections that are not used regularly as we age are deleted and ones that are used regularly are strengthened. For instance, 👥 Maguire et al.(2000) studied London cab drivers who complete a test called ‘the knowledge’ which assesses their recall of city streets and routes. She found that people who had been taxi drivers for longer had more grey matter in their posterior hippocampus than those who had only done it for a short time.
  • Functional recovery: a type of plasticity that refers to recovery of abilities and mental processes that have been affected as a result of brain damage or disease. The brain can rewire itself by forming new synaptic connections close to the damaged area. Then, secondary neural pathways will be activated to enable functioning to continue. This creates structural differences in the brain. This may occur very quickly after trauma, and then slow down over time.
    • Axonal sprouting: the growth of new nerve endings to form new neural pathways.
    • Recruitment of homologous areas: opposite side of the brain takes over the function of damaged area.
  • Factors affecting recovery after trauma:
    • Gender: females may be more likely to have better recovery than males.
    • Age: younger people are more likely to recover from damage than older people. This may be linked to the deterioration of the brain in older age.
    • Perseverance: people who try harder to recover are more likely to recover. Many people give up on recovery as they believe it isn’t possible.
    • Stress and alcohol: a higher intake of alcohol can make it harder for someone to recover due to a lack of effort put towards recovery. Stress can also delay recovery due to the energy that is consumed with anxiety rather than recovery.

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