Facts About Neuroplasticity

[DrB]

Fact 1: Neuroplasticity includes several different processes that take place throughout a lifetime. Neuroplasticity does not consist of a single type of morphological change, but rather includes several different processes that occur throughout an individual’s lifetime. Many types of brain cells are involved in neuroplasticity, including neurons, glia, and vascular cells.

Fact 2: Neuroplasticity has a clear age-dependent determinant.
Although plasticity occurs over an individual’s lifetime, different types of plasticity dominate during certain periods of one’s life and are less prevalent during other periods.

Fact 3: Neuroplasticity occurs in the brain under two primary conditions:
1) During normal brain development when the immature brain first begins to process sensory information through adulthood (developmental plasticity and plasticity of learning and memory). 2) As an adaptive mechanism to compensate for lost function and/or to maximize remaining functions in the event of brain injury.

Fact 4: The environment plays a key role in influencing plasticity.

In addition to genetic factors, the brain is shaped by the characteristics of a person's environment and by the actions of that same person.

[Bards]

Concise and to the point - love it!!!

In the UK neuro theory has very recently been given far more importance in education with teachers becoming far more aware of underlying medical issues and adaptive strategies; hopefully this will have benefits across the board, particularly where the student policy is very 'inclusive' of those with particular needs. As part of my cognitive rehab, I volunteer at a school which has impressed/surprised hugely in this regard, and in comparison makes me feel fairly prescriptive, well I should be relatively empathic in this area, one would hope/expect!!!

Thanks, DrB... great post!!! - You da man!!!