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Slice Patch Clamp Technique for Analyzing Learning-Induced Plasticity

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Plasticity of cerebral functions.

Randolph J Nudo¹, David McNeal

¹Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA. rnudo@kumc.edu

Handbook of Clinical Neurology

|January 15, 2013

Summary

Brain injury recovery is linked to neuroplasticity in remaining tissue. Rehabilitation therapies leverage these fundamental principles of brain plasticity for effectiveness.

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Rehabilitation Medicine
Neurobiology

Background:

Converging evidence from animal and human studies highlights neuroplasticity post-brain injury.
Functional recovery after brain damage is associated with changes in intact neural tissue.

Purpose of the Study:

To outline the basic principles of neuroplasticity.
To review the neural substrates in the cerebral cortex involved in functional recovery after brain injury.

Main Methods:

Review of neurophysiological studies in animal models.
Analysis of neuroimaging studies in human populations.
Examination of theoretical frameworks for post-brain injury rehabilitation.

Main Results:

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Inducing Long-Term Plasticity of Intrinsic Neuronal Excitability in Neurons of the Dorsal Lateral Geniculate Nucleus

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Neuroplasticity is a key mechanism underlying functional recovery after brain injury.
Current rehabilitation strategies are fundamentally based on neuroplasticity principles.

Conclusions:

Understanding neuroplasticity is crucial for developing effective brain injury rehabilitation.
The cerebral cortex contains substrates that support functional recovery through plasticity.