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How does the brain change and recover after damage?

Plasticity and functional recovery of the brain after trauma. Ways of studying the brain. (Plasticity, synaptic pruning, axonal sprouting and recruitment of homologous areas.)

Covers AQA 4.6 plasticity and functional recovery: how the brain reorganises through synaptic pruning and neural growth, and recovers after trauma via axonal sprouting and recruitment of homologous areas.

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Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

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  1. What this dot point is asking
  2. Plasticity
  3. Functional recovery

What this dot point is asking

AQA wants you to describe brain plasticity and functional recovery after trauma, including the mechanisms involved. The exam skill is to define plasticity and support it with research, and to name and explain the mechanisms of recovery rather than just listing them.

Plasticity

Plasticity overturns the old view that the adult brain is fixed. During infancy the brain produces a huge number of synaptic connections, peaking at around two to three years, after which rarely used connections are pruned away and frequently used ones are strengthened, a process that continues, more slowly, throughout life. Learning a new skill physically reshapes the brain. The strongest evidence is Maguire et al.'s (2000) study of London taxi drivers, who must memorise the complex street layout of the city (the Knowledge): they had significantly more grey matter in the posterior hippocampus, a region associated with spatial navigation, and the volume increased with the number of years spent driving, showing the change was driven by experience rather than present from birth. Draganski et al. similarly found structural changes in students' brains after revising for medical exams. These studies demonstrate that experience-dependent plasticity is real and measurable. An interesting evaluation point is that plasticity is not always beneficial: it can underlie maladaptive outcomes such as phantom limb sensations after amputation.

Functional recovery

Functional recovery is plasticity applied after damage: when one area is injured, undamaged areas can reorganise to take over its functions. Several mechanisms make this possible. Axonal sprouting is the growth of new nerve endings from surviving neurons, which connect to undamaged neurons to form new pathways. The recruitment of homologous areas means the equivalent region in the opposite hemisphere can take over a lost function (for example, if a language area is damaged, the corresponding area on the other side may take on some language tasks). Denervation supersensitivity is when surviving neurons that have lost their normal input become more responsive to compensate, though this can sometimes cause pain. The brain also forms new blood vessels (angiogenesis) to restore the blood and oxygen supply to recovering tissue. Recovery is generally fastest in the weeks immediately after injury (spontaneous recovery) and then slows, which is why rehabilitation therapy is used to maintain and extend gains. The practical value of this for neurorehabilitation is a strong evaluative point.

Exam-style practice questions

Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.

AQA 20184 marksExplain what is meant by plasticity. Refer to research in your answer.
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A 4-mark item (about 2 AO1 definition, 2 AO2 research). Markers want a clear definition plus a relevant study.

Plasticity is the brain's ability to change and adapt its structure and function throughout life in response to experience and learning. New synaptic connections form when something is learned, frequently used connections are strengthened, and rarely used ones are lost through synaptic pruning.

Research: Maguire et al. (2000) found that London taxi drivers, who must memorise complex routes (the Knowledge), had significantly more grey matter in the posterior hippocampus, a region linked to spatial memory, than controls, and that the volume correlated with time spent driving. A full-mark answer defines plasticity, mentions the forming and pruning of connections, and uses a study such as Maguire to illustrate experience-driven change.

AQA 20226 marksDescribe the mechanisms of functional recovery of the brain after trauma.
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A 6-mark AO1 item. Markers want named mechanisms with brief explanations.

Functional recovery is a form of plasticity in which healthy brain areas take over functions lost after damage. Mechanisms include axonal sprouting, where new nerve endings grow from undamaged neurons to form fresh connections; the recruitment of homologous areas, where the equivalent region in the opposite hemisphere takes over the lost function; denervation supersensitivity, where surviving neurons become more responsive to compensate; and the reformation of blood vessels (angiogenesis) to restore the blood supply.

A full-mark answer names at least three mechanisms and explains each briefly, and may note that recovery is fastest in the weeks immediately after injury (spontaneous recovery) before slowing. Simply listing terms without explanation loses marks.

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