Neurological Plasticity Essay

The brain "is the organ that controls our behavior" (Gage, 2004). The way the brain functions is thru "neurons that connect many cells at once and release neurotransmitters to a network of other neurons"(Gage, 2004). The constant transmission of information creates memories and thoughts. The brain has the process to reconstruct itself by a process called neurological plasticity which allows new cells production in the brain consequently creating a learning mechanism. Although there are several possibilities in which the brain is capable to retain information from; synaptic plasticity to functional compensatory processing, neurogenesis is the foundation of all memory.
Neurological Plasticity & Neurogenesis
Neuroplasticity mainly focuses on the adaptation of the brain to environmental change or stimuli. According to Knaepen et al (2010) the …show more content…
According to McAllister et al (1999) neurotrophins, which are the stimuli for neurogenesis act as molecular mediators to synaptic plasticity. This is due to the neurotrophic capability of regulating synaptic transmission and neuronal growth (McAllister et al, 1999). Consequently, considering synaptic plasticity, the patterns of activities in the neurons form the basis of different competition between postsynaptic targets, enabling the patterns to provide the potential mechanism for learning and memory (McAllister et al, 1999). The constant competition determines which connections will stay and which ones will be eliminated. Although synaptic plasticity only focuses on the connections of the neurons that have been created, it does not eliminate the recognition of neurogenesis as the foundation of synaptic plasticity. This is due to the brains ability to create new cells and thus establish their connection on function. Furthermore, it allows the brain to use those connections to further expand and utilize memories to ultimately fulfil its goal of