Explain how environmental processes can affect one physiological process.

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PSYCHOLOGY IB                                                                                                                      RSA Academy                           DR. Higgs-Allen                                                                                                                          Hassan AlSaffar

(With reference to empirical research studies)

Explain how environmental processes can affect one physiological process.

Brain plasticity, also called neuroplasticity, is a common term used by neuroscientists, referring to the brain's ability to constantly change, grow, and remap itself over the course of a lifespan at any age – for better or worse. That such distinctive attribute makes the brain a quite even more valuable organ, as it can regularly adapt itself to deal with new inputs such as knowledgeable phases (gaining knowledge) and / or real life phases (environmental demands). Majorly there are several different types of brain plasticity. The first occurs when new-born babies are born and start developing into children. Studies have shown that the immature brain grows and creates  at an unparalleled frequency, as the brain is submerged with new sensual contribution from the outside world.

Identified in 1965, that human brain structure was thought to be determined by genetics and thus fixed and unchangeable. But an experiment carried out by Hubel and Wiesel 1965, demonstrated that the brain could change in structure as a response to an environmental impact. The results of experimental studies were based on laboratory experiments with rats but it is now generally accepted that environmental enrichment can adjust the brain, particularly in the cerebral cortex, known as the area of higher cognitive functioning.  It appears that the human brain is constantly changing as a result of experience throughout lifetime, as the brain changes with age to reflect new experiences and actions. In addition, the brain demonstrates tremendous plasticity in the wake of injury.

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Neuroplasticity functions in two directions; basically it is responsible for deleting old connections as frequently as it enables the creation of new ones. This particular progression called “synaptic pruning” connections that are inefficient or occasionally used are allowed to be removed away, while neurons that are highly routed with information will be preserved, strengthened, made even more synoptically dense. Closely tied in with the pruning process, then on, is the ability to learn and to memorise, While each neuron acts independently, learning new skills may require large collections of neurons to be active simultaneously to process neural evidence; the ...

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