Neuroplasticity: Evolving Concept in Neurology

Abstract

Neuroplasticity, also known as neural plasticity or brain plasticity is the ability of neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganization.¹ These changes range from individual neuron pathways making new connections, to systematic adjustments like cortical remapping. The term plasticity was first applied to behavior in 1890 by William James in The Principles of Psychology.² The first person to use the term neural plasticity appears to have been the Polish neuroscientist Jerzy Kanjorski.^3,4

The human brain is composed of approximately 100 billion neurons. Early researchers believed that neurogenesis, or the creation of new neurons, stopped shortly after birth. Today, it’s understood that the brain’s neuroplasticity allows it to reorganize pathways, create new connections, and, in some cases, even create new neurons. Read more . . .