Article

Neural plasticity and neurorehabilitation: teaching the new brain old tricks.

School of Biological and Health Sciences Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Journal of Communication Disorders (impact factor: 1.76). 04/2011; 44(5):521-8. DOI:10.1016/j.jcomdis.2011.04.006 pp.521-8
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT Following brain injury or disease there are widespread biochemical, anatomical and physiological changes that result in what might be considered a new, very different brain. This adapted brain is forced to reacquire behaviors lost as a result of the injury or disease and relies on neural plasticity within the residual neural circuits. The same fundamental neural and behavioral signals driving plasticity during learning in the intact brain are engaged during relearning in the damaged/diseased brain. The field of neurorehabilitation is now beginning to capitalize on this body of work to develop neurobiologically informed therapies focused on key behavioral and neural signals driving neural plasticity. Further, how neural plasticity may act to drive different neural strategies underlying functional improvement after brain injury is being revealed. The understanding of the relationship between these different neural strategies, mechanisms of neural plasticity, and changes in behavior may facilitate the development of novel, more effective rehabilitation interventions for treating brain injury and disease. LEARNING OUTCOMES: Readers will be able to: (a) define neural plasticity, (b) understand how learning in the intact and damaged brain can drive neural plasticity, (c) identify the three basic neural strategies mediating functional improvement, and (d) understand how adjuvant therapies have the potential to upregulate plasticity and enhance functional recovery.

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Keywords

adapted brain
 
adjuvant therapies
 
behavioral signals
 
brain injury
 
damaged/diseased brain
 
different brain
 
different neural strategies
 
drive different neural strategies
 
effective rehabilitation interventions
 
fundamental neural
 
intact brain
 
key behavioral
 
neural plasticity
 
neurorehabilitation
 
physiological changes
 
reacquire behaviors
 
relearning
 
residual neural circuits
 
three basic neural strategies mediating functional improvement
 
upregulate plasticity
 

Jeffrey A Kleim