What are the eight basic principles of brain plasticity?

Dr. Rishabh Pathak

The eight basic principles of brain plasticity identified in the article are as follows:


1.     Experience-Dependent Changes: The brain changes in response to experiences, and these changes can occur at various levels of analysis.


2.     Synaptic Pruning and Formation: While synaptic pruning is important in brain development, synapses continue to form throughout life and are essential for learning and memory processes.


3. Experience-Expectant Synapses: Early forming synapses are "expecting" experiences, which then prune them back. These synapses are found diffusely throughout the cerebrum.


4.  Experience-Dependent Synapses: Later synapse formation is more focal and localized to regions involved in processing specific experiences.


5.   Selective Synapse Formation and Pruning: Specific experiences lead to both selective synapse formation and selective synaptic loss, changing neural networks by adding and pruning synapses.


6.     Plastic Changes in Brain Organization: Plastic changes in brain organization can be studied at various levels, with gene expression being the fundamental mechanism of synaptic change.


7.  Not All Plasticity is Beneficial: While plastic changes generally support improved motor and cognitive functions, they can also interfere with behavior, leading to maladaptive outcomes in conditions like drug addiction, pathological pain, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and dementia.


8.     Pathological Plasticity in Development: Examples of pathological plasticity in the developing brain include fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and the effects of severe prenatal stress, which can impact cognitive and motor functions in both development and adulthood.


These principles highlight the dynamic and complex nature of brain plasticity, emphasizing how experiences, synapse formation and pruning, and the potential for both beneficial and detrimental plastic changes play crucial roles in shaping brain development and function.

 

Having a strong interest in research, I began my work as a physiotherapist and went on to earn a master's degree in the field, specializing in neurology. I also finished a few post-graduation diplomas in between and with persistence. Research has always been a passion of mine, both for the advancement of my career and my personal life. A major factor in reaching my goals is education. Although my first bachelor's thesis was in the innovation area, I had been exposed to research work even in my informal school days. I always like working on creative initiatives and taking an interest in other people's experiences. The saying, "Healthy criticism is a way to learn more and more about your flaws to make them rectified," is true, in my opinion. In this way, we may hone our abilities and create a growth-oriented vision for both our personal and professional career pathways. I am thus constantly willing to learn and advance in my work. Additionally, I think that "it is in our hands to terminate our lives with a brand-new ending if we are unable to originate our lives with a brand-new start."

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