The Adult Human Brain Retains a Large Amount of Plasticity

The concept of neuroplasticity has long been questioned. The term of “neuroplasticity” did not even come about until the mid-late 20th century. When the term “plastic” was used to describe the brain by a select few neuroscientists, they were laughed at and the term was never thought of as a description for the human brain. The human brain was seen as a closed circuit and one that once you had it, you definitely had it. Scientists thought the brain would not develop anymore past a certain point in your life. Norman Doidge brings the concept of neuroplasticity into reality in his book “The Brain that Changes Itself,” a book about the triumphs in the frontier of brain science.

It is full of comprehensive and engaging style; well reference and scientifically proven, summarizes the current revolution in neuroscience and neuroplasticity, and closes the gap that the old age or matured brain, which is unchangeable is changeable and malleable (plastic); extending it functions from one region to the other. Doidge engaging style of writing, scientific proves, and academic tone help to make the book persuasive.

I’m going to be talking about something that kind of helps reorganize some paths in your brain in many ways, it’s called neuroplasticity, which can also be called brain plasticity, In which it gives the brain the ability to adapt and modify itself. In other words, reorganize its self.

Kids to adults, when? The question of maturity is as vexed as the answer. Brain maturity plays a part as different areas of the brain mature at various points. Society provides another answer as responsibility is presented at unique times as well.

Visual imparity is one of the biggest epidemics in the modern world affecting an estimated 285 million people worldwide (WHO, 2014). Of theses 285 million people, roughly 39 million of them are completely blind. Blindness is a ‘debilitating sensory impairment’ according to Lorach(2014), which can limit a person’s ability to perform everyday tasks and can hugely affect their quality of life. Most of the diseases causing visual impairments, such as cataract can be surgically treated. However, some pathologies cannot be treated with existing treatments or medications. Retinitis pigmenstosa (RP) is an example of such pathology. RP is an inherited eye disorder in which light-receiving photoreceptor cells (rods and cons) degenerate. The photoreceptor

Recent drug trails have confirmed that the brain has the ability to trick itself into healing not only itself, but all aspects of the human body. Neuroplasticity is the study of the brains’ ability to change and adapt to certain medical conditions. Until now, the concept of neuroplasticity has been an unproven myth. These cases have revealed an unimaginable healing process that could potentially revolutionize the world of medicine. Double blind studies indicate placebos are effective with some people, acupuncture has apparently been effective with some disease's, and there have been reports of cannabis oil effecting miraculous cures. All of these provide strong evidence of the human brain influencing the bodies’ immune system.

The most central part of the macula, the fovea, is formed by 0.35 mmwide depression and represents the retinal region of greatest visual acuity . The fovea has the highest density of cone photoreceptors .The long axons of the foveal cones form Henle’s layer. The central 500 mm of the fovea contains no retinal capillaries (the foveal avascular zone [FAZ]), making the fovea dependent on blood supply from the choriocapillaries.( Curcio CA,1990)

Brain plasticity is the ability of the brain to change and adapt as a result of learning, experience, and memory formation, or as a result of damage to the brain. Many people get confused when they first hear about brain plasticity, they often think that the brain is similar to plastic. Brain plasticity in many cases is a very good thing because it allows the brain to transfer functions of a damaged area of the brain to an undamaged one. However, it can be detrimental in some cases, causing the brain to be influenced by psychoactive substances or pathological conditions. A very good example of brain plasticity is when a person loses his ability to control his legs and the brain through its plasticity transfer that strength to his arms.

Some of the issues that plague individuals with cortical visual impairment are losses within central and/or peripheral vision, inability to perceive depth, sensitivity to light, color or contrast and frustration. Research by Roman, Baker-Nobles, Dutton, Luiselli, Flener, Jan, Lantzy, Matsuba, Mayer, Newcomb, & Nielson states that ‘CVI should be defined, albeit arbitrarily, by a reduction in visual acuity, in the visual fields, or in a child’s ability to see compared to other children of the same age.” (Roman, Baker-Nobles, Dutton, Luiselli, Flener, Jan, Lantzy, Matsuba, Mayer, Newcomb, & Nielson, 2010)

The pioneering experiments performed by Hubel and Wiesel in the mammalian visual cortex provided crucial insights into the experience-dependency of normal cortical development. Hubel and Wiesel capitalized on the finding of physiologically distinct neurons in the visual cortex that responded to varying degrees to monocular and binocular visual stimulation (ref), and by tangentially traversing through layer 4 of the V1 cortex while recording from individual neurons, they found that neurons responsive to the left or right eyes were separated into ocular dominance columns (ODCs) (Hubel and Wiesel 1962). The anatomical representation of these columns could be visualized by injecting a transneuronal radiolabel, H3-proline, into the eye of an animal to see projections of eye-specific LGN afferents to the cortex (Hubel Wiesel 1974). Using these techniques, they demonstrated that monocular deprivation corresponded to a substantial loss of cortical neurons stimulated by the deprived eye (ref), and resulted in an anatomical shrinkage of deprived eye columns with a concomitant enlargement of normal eye columns (ref). Further experiments suggested that experience-dependent maturation of ODCs relies on a competition-based mechanism whereby normal eye afferents become stabilized relative to deprived eye afferents (refs), and that there was a developmental critical period in which MD could influence ODCs that was maintained throughout adulthood (ref). Based on these observations as well as

According to Rabipour & Raz (2012) our ability to learn is a function called neuroplasticity or brain plasticity. What this means is that the brain has the ability to change throughout life. In essence, we are remarkable in this respect, our brains “plasticity”, gives it the amazing ability to reorganize itself by forming new connections between brain cells. Thus we are capable of acquiring a wide range of skills given the appropriate training (Rabipour & Raz, 2012).

e process Nelson (2011) describes is neural plasticity. In my own words, it refers to how and why our brains are changed throughout the course of our life. The book goes on to say that there can be negative and positive experiences that impact how the brain functions. One example of a negative impact would be growing up in an abusive home, seeing your parents argue and fight daily. A positive impact would be talking, singing, reading, and playing with a child everyday. This will prepare the child for school, reading, and increase vocabulary to mention a few.

Low vision ranks behind arthritis and heart disease as the third most common chronic cause of impaired function in persons older than 70 years. Patients with vision impairment are more likely to fall, make medication errors, have depression, or report social isolation. With rehabilitation, many patients with impaired vision can attain independence, retain their jobs, and lessen their reliance on social services and

Brain plasticity is an active area of research that focuses on how physiological and environmental change can modify the structure and function of the brain. The region primarily responsible for this phenomenon is the cerebral cortex, which is found on the outer layer of brain to play roles additional roles in conducting thought, memory and perception. Particularly, when individuals are diagnosed with sensory deprivation, brain plasticity can compensate this disadvantage by strengthening another sense. This relation was further explored when M.M Shiell hypothesized, “compensatory visual enhancements in deaf people are supported by plasticity in [the] auditory cortex” (Shiell et al., 2016), to introduce her study on comparing relative thickness

When thinking about the brain do you think that you are capable of changing the structure of it? According to Eric Jensen’s “Preface to Enriching the Brain: How to Maximize Every Learner’s Potential” it is possible “And it’s not just growth; learning literally changes the brain’s structure” (Jensen 6). Jensen further explains that learning not only help you get smarter, but it also helps develop the brain. There is a lot of research that disproves the “fixed brain” theory that our brains will only reach a certain point and then not continue to grow, a couple points that show the brain is more capable of change than we thought is, working in a comfortable learning environment, working on important tasks, and to believe in yourself.