Changes in plasticity across the lifespan: Cause of disease and target for intervention
Brain plasticity is an intrinsic property of the nervous system enabling rapid adaptation in response to changes in an organism's internal and external environment. Altered plasticity can trigger maladaptive cascades and be the cause of deficits and disability, but also offer opportunities for novel therapeutic interventions.
Introduction
Brain plasticity is an intrinsic property of the nervous system that allows an individual to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Plasticity might be conceptualized as the balanced interplay of mechanisms promoting change and those promoting stability (homeostatic plasticity).
Conclusion
This scientific paper highlights the importance of brain plasticity throughout the lifespan for optimal brain health. Over the course of development the brain goes through critical periods where a specific region of cortex has heightened or exclusive capacity for plasticity. In health, local cortical and network plasticity might keep a fine-tuned balance, which optimizes functionality. The future of translational neuroscience is the ultimate goal of understanding the mechanisms driving brain health and disease and developing therapeutic interventions that optimally treat brain diseases. If abnormalities in plasticity predate any structural or functional brain alterations or any behavioral symptom, then therapeutic approaches to normalize brain plasticity may reduce or prevent the anatomical and functional brain pathology underlying these disorders.
Read the fully scientific article here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4392917/