The Impact of Studying Brain Plasticity

Summary & key facts

Brain plasticity, also called neuroplasticity, is the brain's ability to change how it is wired and how it works in response to things that happen inside or outside the body. A key part of this is synaptic plasticity, where connections between nerve cells get stronger or weaker. Scientists have found that this ability is common from insects to humans and helps with learning, growing up, keeping the brain balanced, learning new senses, and recovering after brain injury. But researchers also say we still do not fully understand exactly how these changes shape the brain's structure and function, so more study is needed.

Key facts:

• Neural plasticity means the nervous system can reorganize its structure, connections, or activity when something inside or outside the body changes.
• Synaptic plasticity is the process where nerve cells change the strength or effectiveness of their connections, and it is a basic property of neurons.
• Research over the past century shows that plasticity is found across many species, from insects to humans, which suggests it is a core feature of nervous systems.
• Brain plasticity helps real-life things people care about, such as learning new skills, forming memories, normal brain development, and recovering from brain injuries.
• Studies of synaptic plasticity have driven lots of neuroscience research and have practical value for society because they relate to training the senses and rehabilitation after damage.
• Despite intense research, scientists do not yet know exactly how plasticity leads to the brain's physical shape or overall physiology, so understanding is still incomplete and further study is important.

Abstract

Neural plasticity, also known as neuroplasticity or brain plasticity, can be defined as the ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli by reorganizing its structure, functions, or connections.A fundamental property of neurons is their ability to modify the strength and efficacy of synaptic transmission through a diverse number of activity-dependent mechanisms, typically referred as synaptic plasticity.Research in the past century has showed that neural plasticity is a fundamental property of nervous systems in species from insects to humans.Indeed, studies into synaptic plasticity have not only been an important driving force in neuroscience research but they are also contributing to the well-being of our societies as this phenomenon is involved in learning and memory, brain development and homeostasis, sensorial training, and recovery from brain lesions.However, despite intense research into the mechanisms governing synaptic plasticity, it is still not clear exactly how plasticity shapes brain morphology and physiology.Thus, studying synaptic plasticity is clearly still important if we wish to fully understand how the brain works.

Topics

Neural dynamics and brain function Neuroscience and Neural Engineering Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

Categories

Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Life Sciences Neuroscience

Tags

Cognitive science Neurophysiology Neuroplasticity Neuroscience Psychology