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Scientific research since the late 1950’s has demonstrated the adaptability of the human brain. No longer can it be thought of as a hard-wired system with little ability for self-repair. Rather, this scientific evidence shows that the brain has an enormous potential for recovery of function following injury.
This adaptability of the brain is often referred to as its 'plasticity'. Bach-y-Rita states that: 'Brain plasticity refers to the adaptive capacities of the central nervous system - its ability to modify its own structural organization and functioning. It is an adaptive response to functional demand ... plasticity permits enduring functional changes to take place.
Scientists have studied the different ways that the brain can adapt following injury, and this reseach can be broadly grouped under the following catagories:
Spare capacity and reorganization
Redundancy
Response at a cellular level
Environmental effects
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