New Therapies for Stroke Victims Increase Neuroplasticity

By: Kevin O'Sullivan

            Twenty years ago, scientists believed most brain development occurred during a child’s first two years.  After a child turned two, the popular theory speculated that no new brain cells were developed, and any increase in neural function resulted from an increase in efficiency of neurological pathways. Scientists also believed that, during adulthood, the physiological structure of the brain remained mostly unchanged. Brain structure would only change after trauma to the head, poor health habits or other outside stimuli that would result in loss of brain cells. In short, popular medical theory thought the adult brain could only physiologically change for the worse.

            Today, most neurologists support the theory of neuroplasticity. By definition, neuroplasticity is the ability of the human brain to physiologically alter itself in response to stimuli. Simply, the theory suggests that our brains are physically shaped by our experiences. In theory, our brain function can not only deteriorate from our experiences, as suggested by scientists twenty years ago, but can also improve.

In the medical community, some doctors are trying to apply the theory of neuroplasticity to stroke patients.  After a stroke, one of the most common side effects in patients is loss of motor function. Upon examining an affected patient’s nervous system, doctors have found that neural re-organization has almost always occurred in patients who have lost some motor functions. If this neural re-organization were corrected, the patient could be expected to gain most, if not all, lost motor function backs.

One effective treatment doctors have found is nervous system stimulation. By administering low-volt electrical stimuli to both the brain and peripheral nervous system, doctors have found they have increased the plasticity of the neurons and improved some motor function. Why these electrical stimuli have been able to increase plasticity is not fully understood, but some scientists believe these improvements are associated with changes in synaptic activity, gene expression and increased neurotransmitter levels. With an increased understanding of neuroplasticity, non-invasive treatments reliant on electrical stimuli could become extremely effective in the near future.