APP6 - brain plasticity

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Iowa State University *

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372

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Psychology

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Dec 6, 2023

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App 6 - Brain plasticity A few pages of a textbook regarding brain plasticity have been uploaded on canvas. Only read the “The Internal Representation of Personal Space Can be Modified by Experience” section, pages 378- 381. No need to read the “Extrapersonal Space Is Represented in the Posterior Parietal Association Cortex”. Refer to the following questions to guide you through the reading. Submit your iApp by the due date stated on Canvas. Questions 1 – 5 guide you through the pages. Bullet point answers to 1-5 and submit your answers. 1- Describe figure 17-7. Why is the representation of the middle finger expanded in the monkey’s brain? Because of the continuous use of the middle finger and the surrounding fingers, specifically digits 2 and 4, the afferent neurons corresponding to those digits are strengthened in the brain. The “signal” is stronger compared to the other digits (1 and 5) since they were not used much if at all. 2- In the monkeys whose arm was deafferented, stimulation of the face evoked responses in the areas of cortex that normally represented the hand. Why was that the case? Following the idea that the cortical maps can adapt and change over time, it appears that the neurons normally innervated with the arm have now made new connections within the cortex for the face. This occurred because those connections for the arm are near the connections for the face (as seen by the homunculus diagram). 3- What were the results of the experiment in which the skin of two adjacent fingers were surgically connected in the monkey? What do those results tell us? When the fingers were surgically bound, the individual regions in the brain for the fingers were less distinct than they were before because the fingers were now being utilized together instead of separately. These results tell us that the brain can and will adapt to changes and strengthen the connection for both fingers simultaneously. 4- Refer to figures 17-8 and 17-9, what is your take from the experiment with patients with congenital fusion of the fingers? Describe how their cortical representation of their fingers changes due to the surgery and why. As stated by the textbook, the syndactylic hand has less distinction in the cortex of the brain compared to a hand that has separated digits. This seems to make sense to me since the digits are grouped together and thus function together. After the digits are surgically separated, the magnetic encephalography noted that after a few weeks, similar, distinct representation of the digits followed those of a hand that were not syndactylic. This is because the digits are now separate, thus making the connections separate and distinct of one another. 5- Why do phantom limb patients feel a sensation in the phantom hand if there is stimulation in their upper arm or face?

Similar to the question regarding the deafferentation of the monkey’s arm, the same concept is applied to the phantom limb patients. Looking at the homunculus again, the regions of the cortex representing the hand and the arm and close to those of the face. Upon losing the limb, those connections in the cortex are no longer being used and are “flanked” by the face as stated by the book. This explains why some people feel phantom limb sensations when those regions are stimulated. 6- Think Question: Outline your thoughts and be ready to discuss in class: We read about five different examples of how the cortical representation of the body can change due to either use or disuse of specific body parts. In one paragraph, explain the underlying processes. Offer evidence from the above examples as needed. Think general underlying mechanisms. Certain regions of the somatosensory region correlate to different areas of the body. When we experience sensations in the body, those signals travel to the brain via afferent neurons. Upon arriving at the somatosensory region, those sensory signals are then sent back to the area of sensation via the spinal cord stating what kind of sensation we are feeling (pain, temperature differences, etc.). Regarding how the brain has different connections for different body parts, it appears that certain connections are “strengthened” by use and misuse. Above, it was noted that when certain signals are tampered with in some way or another, connections are altered as well. Cortical representation changes if certain changes happen in the body. The brain adapts to these changes by appearing to give off stronger signals if there is overuse or by sending different neurons to different regions of the brain if they are close to ones not being used. One example of this is the deafferentation of the arm of the monkey. Because the neurons were not being utilized by the arm, it appears that those neurons in the brain made different connections with the face because the regions are close to one another.

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