Brain Plasticity - 637 Words

Illustrating the brain’s plasticity From: Bolt, Martin. Instructor Resources for Myers â€Å"Psychology.† (4th Lecture/Discussion Topic: Maranda Francisco and Hemispherectomy On August 7, 1985; surgeons removed the entire left hemisphere of 4-year-old Maranda Franciscos brain. The young girl had suffered from epilepsy caused by an extremely rare disease called Rasmussens encephalitis. While seizures had affected only her right side, she was rapidly losing the ability to walk, talk, eat, and learn. She was on constant medication and lived her life in brief intervals between convulsions. As often as 120 times a day, and sometimes only three minutes apart, seizures made the right side of her body useless. Since†¦show more content†¦Two different theoretical conclusions have been drawn from this finding. One is that no shift from one hemisphere to the other has occurred because lateralization of function is not present in early infancy. The other is that hemispheric differences are present very early in life, but the young brain has the ability to reorganize itself in the face of damage to specific regions. Recent studies of the abilities of persons with left and right hemispherectomies suggest that the latter plasticity explanation is more likely to be correct. Hemispherectomy dates back to 1928 when it was devised as a treatment for malignant brain tumors. It was unsuccessful. Not only did it not cure, but there was great mortality (death) and morbidity (illness) associated with it, reports Carson. The surgery was used again in the 1940s and 1960s as a treatment for seizure disorders, but each time it fell into disfavor because of postoperative complications. A number of medical advancements have contributed to its present success. Nevertheless, certain drawbacks may always remain. For example, some neurological functions do not transfer from one hemisphere to the other. All the hemis remain blind in one-half of each eye. They also continue to have some degree of paralysis on one side of their bodies. Fine motor movement is lost inShow MoreRelatedPhysical Activity And Brain Plasticity1299 Words   |  6 Pages In the article â€Å"Physical activity and brain plasticity in late adulthood† by Kirk I. Erickson, PhD, Ariel G. Gildengers, MD and Meryl A Butters, PhD provides insight to research on the effects of physical activity on the human brain in late adulthood. The article provides and overview of cognitive functioning in older adults. The purpose of the research in the article is to demonstrate how physical activity and other risk factors such as education, obesity, smoking, hypertension, diabetesRead MoreHow Meditation Affects Brain Plasticity Essay1374 Words   |  6 PagesMeditation originates and has been has been practiced in Asia for thousands of years for different reasons such as increasing concentration abilities, religious purposes and also to train the mind. This essay will focus on how meditation affects brain plasticity (ability to change), emotionally and intellectually, leading to better performance and coping abilities in stressful situations. 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As Schmidt (60) notes, â€Å"the concept of plasticity would suggest that sex, ethnicity, disease, and social classificiation would impact the physical makeup of the brain.† A study by Cornez (2015), investigating song recognition in zebra finches, provides an excellent example of how social events can influence the brain’s physical structure: The lower density