NEUROPLASTICITY

DR.M.Shahid Shabbir
DPT,MSNMPT
• Neuroplasticity
• Historical Background
• Two Current Concepts
• Importance in Rehabilitation
• The ability of the neurons to change their function,
chemical profile ( amount and types of neurotransmitters
produced) or structure is referred to as neuroplasticity.
• The plastic changes in neuron can occur
1. Physiologically according to activity and skill.
2. Pathologically due to injury or disease of CNS.
Neuroplasticity:

• ‘the ability of the CNS to remodel itself’

• Neuroplasticity is how we adapt to changingng conditions,
learn new facts, and develop new skills.
• It is constantly occurring; the brain is always changing
(Mark Hallet 2005)
HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
Background
• A tragic stroke that left his 68 year old father paralyzed
inspired Bach-y-Rita to study brain rehabilitation
• His brother – a physician- rehabilitated him and he
recovered well
• He believed that ‘Under conditions of interest, such as
that of competition, the resulting movement may be much
more
• efficiently carried out than in the dull, routine training in
the laboratory’
Background
• David Hubel and Torsten Wiesel:
• Study with kittens
• The experiment involved sewing one eye shut and
recording the cortical brain maps
• the portion of the kitten’s brain associated with the shut
eye was not idle, as expected. Instead, it processed visual
information from the open eye.
• “… as though the brain didn’t want to waste any ‘cortical
real estate’ and had found a way to rewire itself.”
• Jenkins & Merzenich (1987) removed monkey’s 1
Peripheral nerve
• later found that adjacent neurons had started to respond
to the palm.
• (Ramachandran V 1992).
• “if someone were to lose their right hand in an accident,
they may then have the feelings of a phantom limb
because the areas in the somatosensory cortex
• that are near to the ones of the hand (the arm and face)
will take over (or "remap") this cortical region that no
longer has input”
CURRENT CONCEPT
• Enhancement of existing connections.
• Formation of new connections

• Very active research area; concepts are continually being

updated
TYPES OF NEUROPLASTICITY
1. Enhancement of existing connections:
• A. Synapse development
Mechanism :Physiological
Duration: ms-1 to hours
• B. Synapse strengthening
Mechanism :Biochemical
Duration: hours to days
• Formation of new connections
• A. Unmasking
• Mechanism :Physiological
• Duration: minutes to days
• B. Sprouting
• Mechanism: Structural
• Duration: days to months
1Enhancement of existing connections
• Increased use of a synapse in existing pathways e.g.
learning a new task
Or
• alternative pathways following damage

• Opposite: dendrite atrophy

a. Synapse development

• Increased afferent input

• New synapses evolve leading to increased excitation.

SYNAPTIC STRENGTHNING
• Effectiveness of a synapse can be increased for at least 3
durations:
1. Seconds and minutes (short-term memory)
2. Hours and days (intermediate-term memory)
3. Months and years (long-term memory)
Such changes can take place at three cellular
locations:
• 1. Presynaptic terminal
• 2. Postsynaptic membrane
• 3. Postsynaptic nucleus
Kidd et al., 1992
 Two point discrimination threshold in
pianists index finger

Comparison of musicians to non-musicians

Findings were long-lasting piano practising resulted in lower spatial
discrimination thresholds in the index finger of piano players in
comparison to non-musicians.
This decrease in threshold was related to the number of hours
practised per day (>3 hours), not to the number of years they had
been playing
2. Formation of new connection:
• Unmasking of pre-existing pathways
• Sprouting of new pathways
unmasking of silent connections:

• Possible reasons why some synapses could be ‘silent’

Inhibited by dominant pathways
Too little transmitter
Too few receptors
Don’t fire with other inputs