...Brain Injuries Learning Team A University of Phoenix PSY 340 Biological Foundations of Psychology 28 March 2016 Abstract Thesis Statement: In this paper we will discuss different kinds of brain injuries, the functions of neural plasticity and the limitations of neural plasticity. The first thing that is discussed in the paper in different brain injuries. We go into depth about five different brain injuries that include blood clots, hematomas, concussions, strokes and cerebral edema. Once we have covered brain injuries we discuss the functions of neural plasticity in brain injuries. An important thing that is discussed with neural plasticity is the recovery from a brain injury, what is required during recovery and how long recovery from a brain injury can take. The last thing that is discussed in this paper is the limitations of neural plasticity with brain injuries. Keywords: brain, injuries, plasticity, neural “Each year, traumatic brain injuries (TBI) contribute to a substantial number of deaths and cases of permanent disability. TBI is a contributing factor to a third (30.5%) of all injury-related deaths in the United States.” (cdc.gov) Robert has experienced a traumatic brain injury that is going to affect him for the rest of his life. Brain injuries are serious, and should be treated as such. For some people brain injuries go unnoticed and untreated leaving it to be deadly, but for others it is caught and treated but the healing process is extensive. In...
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...Neural Plasticity Paper 1 Neural Plasticity Paper Functions and Limitations of Neural Plasticity Research today has shown that “the capacity of the human brain for functional and structural reorganization throughout life is now well recognized.” (V. Valkanova, R. E. Rodriguez, K. P. Ebmeier. 2014) Neural Plasticity is what we understand as the brains ability to adapted to and repair damaged areas. In the case of Robert, who had a car wreck which left him with a traumatic brain injury, how does neuroplasticity play a role in his recovery? Since the damage was done in the frontal lobe, the areas that are affected are his hand/eye coordination, conscious thought, emotions, personality, attention span, motivation, judgment and organizational capacity. Finally, the damage to the frontal lobe often shows in risky behavior or impulsive behavior by the subject. This type of behavior requires the rehabilitation to begin with going back to basic human behavior. By this, Robert will have to relearn his relationship to himself as well as others, Roberts brain itself will begin to rewire itself around the damaged of his brain. Neuroplasticity is a long process that requires Robert to relearn his skills that he has lost. Science has shown that with the rehabilitation and the repetition of these skills the brain can begin to rewire the wiring. For example, brain damage...
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...remain desperate forever. However, if we understand that inspiration is the best tool to better our lives, then we have to understand how it happens. The paper aims at discussing how inspiration happens. How Does Inspiration Happen? As per the scientific research done by different stake holders in the field of inspiration, it is evident that the best moment to get inspired is not when we are at our best. Rather, it happens when we are groggy, relaxed or maybe when we are a little drunk. This is due to support of neuroplasticity concept. In simple terms, neuroplasticity implies that the formation of brain continuously forms new connections and neural pathways even at old age. When two ideas are interconnected or linked together, this is not just a metaphor. What actually happens is that the brains normally reconstruct to accommodate the new processes. However, the process of creating new pathways for the brain is not always at its peak. The moment we are attentive, alert or even focused, our brains experience higher beta brain waves. This is a perfect tool for executing tasks that we are familiar with. As we get relaxed, the brain exhibits higher levels of alpha brain waves. Slower and slower brain waves occur as we get closer to sleep. The slow wave brains then help our brain to become more plasticity and the more plasticity it, the more we get...
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...Neural Plasticity Joelle Flythe, Jennifer Parr, Kristina Catalan, Mich Haas Psych 340 May 16, 2016 Amy Hennings Neural Plasticity Have you ever wondered what happened to a person when they have a stroke? Better yet what happens to the person's brain? Does the brain change? Or how will the person recover from the stroke? These are all questions that this paper will discuss. The information that follows will be in great details about a stroke, about our patient by the name of Stephanie. Stephanie has had a stroke. We want to ensure that Stephanie, our patient, understands what is next to come after her stroke. We will focus on the recovery process, the do's and do not's and the functions and limitations of a person who has had a stroke. What is a stroke? According to the American Heart Association, a "Stroke is a disease that affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. It is the number 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot; it bursts or ruptures. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so it and brain cells die" (American Heart Association, 2016.) When a person has a stoke it is unpredictable and affects the brain in a major way. When a person has a stroke, they can become paralyzed, lose memory and have to learn...
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...agreement with this article, five scholarly academic sources arguments and findings are observed. This paper shows a critical review of infant mental health; the brain’s plasticity through a critical period and the importance of supportive infant-caregiver relationships that produce positive experiences for infants and further their developmental capabilities ultimately, helping them grow better. It also highlights the reality that the society as a whole is involved in providing better environmental influences for infants in order to supply them with a better future. Recommendations for future research and unanswered questions in infant mental health are made in response to the need of support of caregivers and the society. The news article, Infant mental health: Giving children the best head start, emphasizes the importance of the first 1000 days of an infant’s life (2015). Adulthood is shaped and impacted by our early experiences (D’alton, 2015). Professor Kevin Nugent is an expert of early child development, specifically in child behaviour and development, and parent-child relationships (D’alton, 2015). Nugent presented what he describes as a “revolution” in scientific understanding of the capacity of the brains of babies; the development of the brain is more vulnerable to environmental influences which have a longer term impact than once thought (D’alton, 2015). Research evidence...
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...The definition of a drug addiction is the loss of control over the intense urges to take the drug even at the expense of adverse consequences (Volkow & Li, 2005). The drugs are used multiple mechanisms like positive reward, inhibitory control, and executive function to modulate the brain functions. In this paper, I am going to examine how addictive drugs alter the brain function and result in mediating our behaviors. The primary function of the brain is to monitor the external and internal environment of the individual, then respond to an unconscious and/or conscious level. However, our body requires more complex works for a living. What are the fundamental concepts of how the nervous system mediates behavior? The brain does not work independently...
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...CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study Sleep is a physiological need. It is a way to rest our body from fatigue. Hence, adequate sleep is a biological necessity, not a luxury, for the normal functioning of humans. Good mental and physical health depends on maintenance of adequate sleep. College experience is of great value in providing emerging adults with a structured environment in which they can gain knowledge, skills and independence to chart their own path, become successfully employed and contribute to society. For most students, the college environment is full of new living and social experiences, new freedom from parental supervision and new academic demands. In this situations, most often than not, adequate sleep is neglected. According to poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation (2000) potential obstacle to maximizing success in college is the high prevalence of daytime sleepiness, sleep deprivation, sleep disturbances and irregular sleep schedules among college students. Daytime sleepiness is a major problem, exhibited by 50% of college students compared to 36% of adolescents and adults. At least 3 days a week, 60% of college students report that they are dragging, tired and sleepy. Sleep deprivation is defined as obtaining inadequate sleep to support adequate daytime alertness. How much sleep a young adult needs is known to be eight (8) hours. Most college students are sleep deprived, as 70.6% of students report obtaining...
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...About Dyslexia as my term paper because dyslexia caught my attention since I had watched the movie entitled “Every Child Is Special” in one of my major subjects with Mrs. Winona E. Sanque just last year. As the main character, Ishan, never had a chance to be understood by his family, teachers, classmates, and friends. Being sent to a very exclusive school for boys far away from his home, there he also experienced maltreatment and embarrassments. Until one day, an Art substitute teacher came along to his life and change it as well as to all people around him so to me. But this desire of mine in knowing more about dyslexia had been finalized when I read an article in Developmental Reading book entitled “On Being Seventeen, Bright, and Unable to Read” by David Raymond. I start to accept and understand them heartfully. So as I make this term paper I would like to impart my awareness to others as well as they read my researched information I gathered. I. Definition of Dyslexia Dyslexia is a term that refers to many reading disabilities thought to be the result of a disorder in the central nervous system. But most of people began to use the term to describe a broad range of reading problems, and even spelling and writing problems. II. Kinds of Dyslexia There are several types of dyslexia that can affect the child's ability to spell as well as read. "Trauma dyslexia" usually occurs after some form of brain trauma or injury to the area of the brain that controls reading and...
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...The Journal of Neuroscience, March 24, 2010 • 30(12):4467– 4480 • 4467 Development/Plasticity/Repair Demonstration of a Neural Circuit Critical for Imprinting Behavior in Chicks Tomoharu Nakamori,1,3 Katsushige Sato,2,4 Yasuro Atoji,5 Tomoyuki Kanamatsu,6 Kohichi Tanaka,1 and Hiroko Ohki-Hamazaki1,3,7 1 Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, School of Biomedical Science and Medical Research Institute and 2Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan, 3Division of Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Kitasato University, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 228-8555, Japan, 4Department of Health and Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Human Health, Komazawa Women’s University, Inagi-shi, Tokyo 206-8511, Japan, 5Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu 501-1193, Japan, 6Department of Environmental Engineering for Symbiosis, Faculty of Engineering, Soka University, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-8577, Japan, and 7Recognition and Formation, Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan Imprinting behavior in birds is elicited by visual and/or auditory cues. It has been demonstrated previously that visual cues are recognized and processed in the visual Wulst (VW), and imprinting memory is stored in the intermediate medial mesopallium (IMM) of...
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...Drug addiction is most often defined as a chronically relapsing disorder in which the addict experiences uncontrollable compulsion to take drugs, while simultaneously the repertoire of behaviors not related to drug seeking, taking, and recovery, declines dramatically."(1) Recent scientific research has shown significant causal relationships between drug addiction and genetic predisposition as well as between addiction and environmental factors. Both genetics and the environment influence the brain, which in turn effects the behavior of usage. Once an individual begins using psychotropic substances, such as cocaine or heroin, measurable changes in brain chemistry and physiology perpetuate the cycle of addiction. Thus, we have an example of brain affecting behavior, which in turn, affects the brain. This cycle is particularly extreme and insular in the situation of drug addiction where free will and decision making are quickly and severely impaired. In this paper, we will first explore the genetic and environmental theories on drug addiction. We will then investigate how the behavior of drug addiction changes the brain to perpetuate the circle of cause and effect between the brain and behavior. Genetic Influences on the Behavior of Drug Addiction: Addiction does not result from a single gene. However, multiple genetic trends have been identified as crucial contributors to the illness of addiction. Alcoholics and cocaine addicts often express the A1 allele of the dopamine receptor...
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...Running head: OVER EXPOSURE TO DIGITAL MEDIA 1 Over Exposure to Digital Media Can Cause Changes in the Brain Liberty University OVER EXPOSURE TO DIGITAL MEDIA 2 Abstract This paper explores lesson two, about a balanced use of educational media. The lesson states that a predominance of television viewing leads to passivism and narcissism, and that reading literature invites mental involvement and is an investment in self. This paper examines briefly the case that digital media is changing the minds of humans and that we are not absolutely sure what result this “mind change” will have on future generations. OVER EXPOSURE TO DIGITAL MEDIA 3 Over Exposure to Digital Media Can Cause Changes in the Brain As I went over lesson 2, there were several things that got my attention. One of the main points put forth in lesson 2 was that excessive television viewing is bad for a...
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...November 2009 Understanding the Effects of Maltreatment on Brain Development What’s Inside: • How the Brain Develops This issue brief provides basic information on brain development and the effects of abuse and neglect on that development. The information is designed to help professionals understand the emotional, mental, and behavioral impact of early abuse and neglect in children who come to the attention of the child welfare system. • Effects of Maltreatment on Brain Development • Implications for Practice and Policy • Summary U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families Administration on Children, Youth and Families Children’s Bureau Child Welfare Information Gateway Children’s Bureau/ACYF 1250 Maryland Avenue, SW Eighth Floor Washington, DC 20024 800.394.3366 Email: info@childwelfare.gov www.childwelfare.gov Understanding the Effects of Maltreatment on Brain Development www.childwelfare.gov In recent years, there has been a surge of research into early brain development. New technologies, such as neuroimaging (e.g., magnetic resonance imaging or MRI), provide increased insight into how the brain develops and how early experiences affect that development. One area that has been receiving increasing research attention involves the effects of abuse and neglect on the developing brain, especially during infancy and early childhood. Much of this research is providing biological explanations for what practitioners have...
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...Introduction to Neuroscience Course Paper Glia and Alzheimer’s disease Glial cells (also known as neuroglia, or simply glia) are small non-neuronal cells that have numerous functions to maintain a healthy brain. When Rudolf Virchow founded glial cells in 1856, glia was thought to be the glue, which held the nervous system together. (Kalat, 2013) This is not the case. In fact, glial cells are essential to support brain function. “Morphofunctional changes resulting from the plasticity of all the glial cell types parallel the plastic neuronal changes that optimize the functionality of neuronal circuits. Moreover, neuroglia possesses the ability to adopt a reactive status (gliosis) in which, generally, new functions arise to improve and restore if needed the neural functionality.” (Álvarez, M. I., Merino, J. J, Rodríguez, J. J, Toledano, A. & Toledano-Díaz, A., 2015) Due to these features, neuroglia cells can playa crucial role in Alzheimer’s disease. The most common forms of glia are Astrocytes, Oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells, and Microglia. The most abundant type of glial cells in the brain is the star-shaped astrocytes. Astrocytes have multiple functions that include “regulating pH, storing and releasing glucose, detoxification, modifying the immune response, modulating synaptic activity, inactivating neurotransmitters, and inducing and maintaining the blood brain barrier.” (Freet, August 28, 2015) Oligodendrocytes are “located in the brain and the spinal cord, whereas Schwann...
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...sleeping, sometimes hundreds of times a night, depriving the brain of oxygen. This narrative is all-too familiar for many teenagers and adults. Almost everyone has had to pull an all-nighter at least once in their life...
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...Emotions Paper The presence of emotion on human lives is a combination of many events, from our natural biological constructs, to our environment and how that aided our development. Emotions play a pivotal role as to how we act towards motivation. Two intrinsically different historical theories arise which illustrate polar views on the source of human emotion. One being James-Lange’s theory where physiological symptoms trigger emotional response, and the second being Cannon’s theory where both physiological and emotional response occur at the same time. Two research methods include word association, how language can label human emotions, and evolutionary theory that is based on the idea that emotions aided early human survival. Finally Darwin had a structural facial component known as facial feedback hypothesis, wherein an event-appraisal-emotional sequence was formulated. All these theories play a major role in human emotion being the driving force behind motivation. Emotion is an important aspect of motivation because it is the source of action when the environment acts as an incentive (Davidson, Jackson, & Kalin, 2000). The historic background of arousal and motivation includes the James-Lange theory of emotion and the Cannon theory. James proposed that physiological symptoms occur directly before a stimulating event or emotional experience (Davidson, Jackson, & Kalin, 2000). Specifically, the physiologic response is the reason for the emotional event...
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