Though neuroplasticity declines in adulthood, it has been shown to persist throughout life
Early in life, neuroplasticity, the responsiveness of the human brain to changing conditions, is so great that infants who suffer damage to one side of their brain about the time of birth, even if they lose an entire hemisphere, may compensate for the deficit. The other half develops so that these children grow up to have nearly symmetrical facial movements and only a mild or moderate limp. With age, neuroplasticity declines, but it is never completely lost. Neurological adaptability even in adulthood may be seen in the recovery many people make from a stroke. In a cerebrovascular accident, or stroke, brain tissue is destroyed, usually because of bleeding. Although neurons, once matured, lose the capacity to divide again, often the patient will, in weeks or months, be able to use again a limb that was paralyzed by the stroke. New circuits have taken over, new connections have been made. “Under normal conditions ‘growth’ may be a characteristic of the brain throughout life,” writes the physician and neuroscientist Francine Benes.
References
- Mate, Gabor. (1999). Scattered Minds Chapter 16. It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over Unconditional Positive Regard (EPub p. 162). London, UK: Random House.
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Type:🔴 Tags: Biology / Neuroscience Status:☀️