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Related Concept Videos

Neuroplasticity01:01

Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.
Plasticity00:58

Plasticity

Plasticity is the property where an object loses its elasticity and undergoes irreversible deformation, even after the deformation forces are eliminated. If a material deforms irreversibly without increasing stress or load, then this is called ideal plasticity. For example, when a force is applied to an aluminum rod, it changes its shape, but it does not return to its original shape once the force is removed. Plastic deformation or ductility is thus a permanent deformation or change in the...
Direct Motor Pathways01:11

Direct Motor Pathways

The direct motor pathways, also known as the pyramidal tracts, are a group of neural pathways that originate in the brain and descend through the spinal cord. They control the voluntary movement of the body. There are two major direct motor pathways: the corticospinal and the corticobulbar tracts.
The corticospinal tract is responsible for the voluntary movement of the limbs and trunk. It originates in the cerebral cortex of the brain and descends through the cerebrum's internal capsule and the...
Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming01:29

Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming

Reprogramming alters the gene expression in somatic cells, transforming them into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells over several generations. Scientists can reprogram cells by introducing genes for four transcription factors—Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (OSKM) by viral or non-viral methods. These factors are also known as Yamanaka factors after Shinya Yamanaka, who first generated iPS cells using mouse skin cells. Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012 for this...
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:23

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at the...

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Related Experiment Video

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Slice Patch Clamp Technique for Analyzing Learning-Induced Plasticity
11:56

Slice Patch Clamp Technique for Analyzing Learning-Induced Plasticity

Published on: November 11, 2017

Plasticity in human motor cortex is in part genetically determined.

Julia Missitzi1, Reinhard Gentner, Nickos Geladas

  • 1Department of Sport Medicine and Biology of Physical Activity, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.

The Journal of Physiology
|November 25, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Genetic factors significantly influence brain plasticity, as shown by lower intrapair differences in monozygotic (MZ) twins compared to dizygotic (DZ) twins. This suggests a substantial genetic contribution to the brain

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Genetics
  • Motor Control

Background:

  • Brain plasticity is the brain's ability to change in response to stimuli.
  • Understanding the genetic basis of brain plasticity is crucial for fields like motor learning and rehabilitation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the genetic heritability of brain plasticity.
  • To compare intrapair differences in brain plasticity between monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins.

Main Methods:

  • Paired associative stimulation (PAS) was used to induce changes in corticospinal excitability.
  • Motor evoked potentials (MEP) were measured in the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) muscle.
  • 32 healthy female twins (9 MZ, 7 DZ pairs) participated.

Main Results:

  • PAS increased MEP amplitudes, indicating induced plasticity.
  • Intrapair differences in plasticity were significantly lower in MZ twins (0.64) than in DZ twins (1.25).
  • The estimated heritability of brain plasticity was 0.68.

Conclusions:

  • Genetic factors play a significant role in interindividual differences in brain plasticity.
  • These findings have implications for understanding adaptive brain reorganization in motor learning and recovery from brain injury.