PSYC 106 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Axon Terminal, Aplasia, Nmda Receptor
Document Summary
Plasticity is an intrinsic property of nervous system. It enables modification of function and structure in response to environmental demands. We need neural plasticity because the world changes fast and we have to constantly adjust our behavior and learn new things. Changes in genetic code take longer to accomplish (12-18 hours). Since world does affect us, environment interacts with genome but this interaction depends on plasticity of brain. Neural plasticity declines with age: as we age, we experience a varied degree of cognitive decline, which is tied to genetic and environmental factors as well as decreased plasticity. A connection between cognitive ability and plasticity (means that preventing loss of plasticity may limit reduction in cognitive abilities) Functional plasticity- brain"s ability to move functions from a damaged area of the brain to other undamaged areas. Structural plasticity- brain"s ability to actually change its physical structure as a result of learning. Found that plasticity was driven by sensory deprivation and altered use.
