Definition of neuroplasticity- term used to describe the changes in neural pathways and synapses due to

changes in behaviour, environment, thinking, emotions, asw as changes resulting from bodily injury;
refers to the ability of the brain to change as a result of one’s experiences

Definition of neurotransmitters

MRI

Localisation of function: The theory that behaviours have their origin in specific areas of the brain.
Damage to that part of the brain would result in an inability to carry out that behaviour

Study Aim, Procedure, Findings Evaluation

Milner (1966): Case study of Aim: To better understand the effects that the surgery Strength: longitudinal- over 50 years,
HM had had on HM change can be observed over time. Method
triangulation
Background: HM was hit by a cyclist at 7, epileptic
Limitations: cannot be easily replicated,
attacks began at 10, by 27 he became so however, there are other patients similar to
incapacitated by the seizures he could not lead a HM like Clive Wearing, which confirm the
normal life, with approval from the family and HM, findings
Scoville removed tissue from his medial temporal
lobe on both sides. HM now suffers from Some aspects of the study were
anterograde amnesia, meaning that he can recall retrospective (we don’t have a lot of data on
HM’s memory before the incident)
events before the surgery but cannot create new
memories Medication used to treat epilepsy may have
resulted in some of the damage, but this is
Procedure: not highly relevant as it is the damage to
-​ Psychometric testing: IQ test → results specific parts of the brain that is important
above average
High ecological validity, no variables were
manipulated and HM was observed in his
-​ Direct observation of behavior
natural environment

-​ Interviews with HM and family Milner’s research met high ethical standards
of consent, confidentiality and protection
-​ Cognitive testing: memory recall test, from harm
learning task (e.g. mirror drawing)

Results:
-​ No episodic or semantic knowledge but have
procedural memories, motor skills
(improved on mirror drawing task), knew
how to mow a lawn

-​ Memory systems in the brain constitute a

highly specialized and complex system

-​ Hippocampus plays a role in converting

memories of experience from STM to LTM

-​ The STM is not stored in the hippocampus

-​ (HM can retain info for a while if rehearsed)

-​ Medial temporal region is not the site of

LTM but organizes information to store
somewhere else
 -​ Implicit memories contain several stores

Study Aim, Procedure, Findings, Conclusion Evaluation

Maguire et.al (2000) Aim: To investigate how the brain structure of Strengths:
London taxi drivers is different from normal
right-handed drivers -​ Researcher bias was eliminated by employing a
(Quasi-exp.: IV was not manipulated single-blind control – the researcher did not
by researcher) know whether they were looking at the scan of a
Procedure: taxi-driver or a control participant
-​ 16 right handed male taxi drivers, at
least 1.5 yrs of exp. “Knowledge ->could not influence the results in order to portray a
test”, 50 right handed males who certain favorable outcome
didnt drive taxi
-​ MRI scans compared between drivers
-​ High ecological validity – were not asked to do
and non-drivers
anything while being inside the scanner, only
-​ Single-blind study, researcher who have their brain anatomy measured – similar to
looked at scans didnt know if it was their state in real life
from a taxi driver or control
-​ High construct validity, vbm and mri highly
Results: accurate (weak)
-​ Taxi drivers: higher grey matter
-many extraneous variables are controlled: mean age,
volume in posterior hippocampus
handedness, gender, high internal validty
-​ Control: higher grey matter volume in
anterior hippocampus
-​ Correlation observed between
number of years of driving Limitations:
experience and size of posterior
-​ sampling bias: only men was used – despite the
hippocampus
fact that most London’s taxi drivers are male,
sole use of males, hard to generalize and apply
Conclusion: Redistribution of grey matter in such results to women as well (population
the hippocampus occurs in taxi drivers in validity)
response to gaining navigational experience
-​ Bidirectional ambiguity (dont know what the
Posteriror hippocampus plays a key role in brains of the taxi drivers looked like prior to the
study)
spatial memory and navigation, anterior
hippocampus perception, coping with new
info and experiences

Draganski et. al (2004)

 Limtiations
-​ Time practicing juggling not
standardized
-​ Gender bias (population validity)

Strengths:
-​ MRI scan, construct validity is high

Aim: To see whether leaning a new skill (i.e juggling) would

have an effect on the brains of participants

Procedure: volunteers who don’t know how to juggle

-​ Two groups: jugglers, non-jugglers
-​ First scan
-​ Jugglers spent 3 months learning juggling with 3
balls, non-jugglers no juggle
-​ Second scan
-​ All stop juggling for 3 months
-​ Third scan

Results:
-​ No difference in brain structures between the two
groups
-​ Second scan: jugglers more grey matter in
mid-temporal area (visual memory)
-​ Third scan: juggler grey matter decrease but still
higher than non-jugglers

Conclusion: grey matter grown in the brain in response to

environmental demands and shrinks in the absense of
stimulation

Rogers & Kesner (2003)

Antonova et.al (2011)