Neurologists argue the brain does not restructure itself

Contrary to popular belief, a team has suggested that the brain does not have the ability to restructure itself following vision loss, amputation, or stroke.

Don't leave your news choices to an algorithm - decide for yourself what you read. Add 12punto to your preferred sources!

Neurologists argue the brain does not restructure itself

An international team of scientists from the US and the UK has suggested that, contrary to popular belief, the brain does not have the ability to restructure itself following vision loss, amputation, or stroke. Research on the subject by neurologist Prof. Tamar Makin from the University of Cambridge in the UK and John Krakauer from Johns Hopkins University in the US was published on November 21 in the peer-reviewed scientific journal eLife.

According to the study reported by Independent Türkçe, the scientists argue that the general consensus that the brain restructures itself in response to any injury or medical condition is fundamentally flawed. Instead, the scientists suggest that the brain is revealing pre-existing but latent capabilities.

THIS IS A WIDELY HELD VIEW IN SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

Scientific textbooks frequently state that certain regions of the brain restructure themselves for new functions.

For example, many believe that when a person loses their sight, the brain can restructure the visual cortex to process sounds, thereby facilitating navigation.

This is called the ability of echolocation, which allows people to detect objects by sensing echoes coming from them.

In the research, another example cited for this situation is the idea that when a person who has had a stroke cannot initially move their limbs, parts of the brain reorganize themselves to regain control.

NEW ABILITIES ARE NOT A MIRACLE!

Krakauer stated that the idea that the human brain has a tremendous ability to restructure and reorganize itself is very appealing, and added:

Stories about the blind developing almost superhuman echolocation abilities or stroke victims miraculously regaining lost motor skills are particularly hopeful.

Stating that this thought goes beyond simple adaptation or plasticity (the brain's ability to undergo structural or physiological changes), Krakauer said, "This implies a complete redesign of regions in the brain. Even if these stories are true, what is actually happening is being misinterpreted."

Previous studies have shown that the brain has the ability to adapt.

However, Makin and Krakauer said that the brain does not actively create new functions as previously suggested, and that the areas being used were actually present since birth.

PREVIOUS STUDIES WERE ALSO EXAMINED

In a study conducted in the 1980s, the effect of finger amputation on the body was examined. According to the research, it was stated that the stimulus the brain previously gave to the finger was seen again after the finger was amputated.

The team argued that this showed how the brain restructured itself in response to change. However, Prof. Makin presented evidence in a 2022 study that this might not be the case.

She used nerve blockers to temporarily mimic the effect of index finger amputation. Makin observed that before the amputation, signals from other fingers matched the region of the brain said to be responsible for the index finger.

Accordingly, it was revealed that this region of the brain initially processed signals from the index finger but did not do so alone. In the study, it was observed that after the simulation, existing signals from other fingers also increased.

Stating that new information did not emerge from scratch in these regions, Makin said, "The capabilities related to other fingers were already present in this examined region of the brain before the amputation."

In their article, the scientists stated that they examined other studies in addition to their own research and that there were no results proving that the common beliefs were correct.

"We are scientists, we don't believe in magic," said Makin, noting that the brain fundamentally possesses these capabilities to perform certain functions.

News Source: 12punto