What is Neuroplasticity?

What is neuroplasticity? Recovery from an event such as a stroke, spinal cord injury, or traumatic brain injury occurs due to neuroplasticity. 

Neuroplasticity is the process in which the neurons, which are the cells in the brain or nervous system, create new pathways. These pathways are what help us think, communicate, move, and interact with the world around us. 

There are 10 principles of neuroplasticity. The first is to “use it or lose it”. This means you have to practice a skill if you want to keep the skill. The second is to “use it and improve it”.  You can improve a skill by practicing it correctly.  The third is “specificity”. This means practice what you want to improve. The fourth is “repetition matters”. Thousands of repetitions are needed in order to make changes. Fifth is “intensity matters”. High intensity makes bigger and faster changes. Sixth is “time matters”. Faster changes happen closer to the event, although you can still make improvements years past your injury. The seventh is “salience matters”, meaning it needs to be important to you to make the biggest change. The eighth is “age matters”. It takes even more repetitions to make lasting changes with age. Nine is “transference”. This means one intervention can help improve similar behaviors. The tenth is “interference”. This means learned behaviors or motor pathways can hinder learning of more efficient motor pathways. 

These principles can be used to help direct your rehabilitation following a neurologic injury in physical, occupational, and speech therapy.