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Book

Neuroplasticity

Matt Puderbaugh  1 , Prabhu D. Emmady  2
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
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Book

Neuroplasticity

Matt Puderbaugh et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

Neuroplasticity, also known as neural plasticity or brain plasticity, is a process that involves adaptive structural and functional changes to the brain. A good definition is “the ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli by reorganizing its structure, functions, or connections.” Clinically, it is the process of brain changes after injury, such as a stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI). These changes can either be beneficial (restoration of function after injury), neutral (no change), or negative (can have pathological consequences).

Neuroplasticity can be broken down into two major mechanisms:

  1. Neuronal regeneration/collateral sprouting: This includes concepts such as synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis.

  2. Functional reorganization: This includes concepts such as equipotentiality, vicariation, and diaschisis

The first mention of the term plasticity in regards to the nervous system was by William James in 1890. However, the term neural plasticity is credited to Jerzy Konorski in 1948 and was popularized by Donald Hebb in 1949.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Matt Puderbaugh declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Prabhu Emmady declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. Mateos-Aparicio P, Rodríguez-Moreno A. The Impact of Studying Brain Plasticity. Front Cell Neurosci. 2019;13:66. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Berlucchi G, Buchtel HA. Neuronal plasticity: historical roots and evolution of meaning. Exp Brain Res. 2009 Jan;192(3):307-19. - PubMed
    1. Josselyn SA, Köhler S, Frankland PW. Heroes of the Engram. J Neurosci. 2017 May 03;37(18):4647-4657. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sophie Su Y, Veeravagu A, Grant G. Neuroplasticity after Traumatic Brain Injury. In: Laskowitz D, Grant G, editors. Translational Research in Traumatic Brain Injury. CRC Press/Taylor and Francis Group; Boca Raton (FL): 2016. - PubMed
    1. Hara Y. Brain plasticity and rehabilitation in stroke patients. J Nippon Med Sch. 2015;82(1):4-13. - PubMed

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