The Principles of Brain Plasticity

Abstract

The capability of the central nervous system (CNS) to adapt its functional and structural organization to current requirements is known as neural plasticity. Such changes can be examined at different organizational levels of the CNS; changes at the molecular-, synaptic-, neural-, system-, and behavioral level are mutually dependent (Shaw & McEachern, 2001). Plastic changes are triggered by learning, e.g., perceptual and motor training and by injuries, e.g., a deafferentation of parts or of all afferents of a sensory system. Moreover, the capacity to change is a characteristic feature of the CNS throughout life although there are qualitative and quantitative differences between developmental and adult plasticity. This chapter reports major findings on training- and lesion-induced plasticity. Results from animal and human research in the somatosensory, auditory, visual and motor system are reviewed and the possibly mechanisms underlying brain plasticity are discussed. Moreover, possible differences between developmental and adult plasticity are considered.KeywordsAuditory CortexPerceptual LearningLateral Geniculate NucleusAmerican Sign LanguageBrain PlasticityThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.