There Are Three Main Ways Your Brain and Central Nervous System Rewires Itself
Structural Neuroplasticity
Your brain physically changes its shape — it can grow new connections or strengthen existing ones.
Structural neuroplasticity works in the following ways:
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Synaptic plasticity: The strengthening or weakening of synapses (the connections between neurons).
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Neurogenesis: The creation of new neurons, which occurs throughout life.
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Dendrite Growth: The branching out of dendrites (the receiving ends of neurons) to create more connections between existing neurons
Functional Neuroplasticity
Your brain changes how it works. If one area is injured, another area can learn to take over the lost job.
Functional neuroplasticity can happen in the following ways:
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Cross Hemisphere Transfer: In developing brains, a function lost in an injured area can shift to the matching region in the opposite side (hemisphere) of the brain.
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Compensatory Masquerade: The brain develops a new cognitive or behavioral strategy to complete a task when it can no longer use the original method.
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Map Expansion: A brain region’s cortical map can grow larger in response to intense, repeated use, as seen in professional musicians’ auditory cortex.
Compensatory Neuroplasticity
In addition to its two main types of plasticity, the brain has a brilliant capacity for problem-solving, dynamically building 'work-arounds,' finding entirely new routes to get the job done.
Several compensatory mechanisms the brain uses include the following:
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Cross-Modal Reassignment: When one brain area no longer gets its usual sensory input, it can be reassigned to help process other senses. For example, in blindness, part of the visual cortex may help with touch or hearing.
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Homeostatic Plasticity: The brain uses built-in controls to keep its overall activity balanced so it does not become too active or too quiet.
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Metaplasticity: This is the brain’s ability to modify how easily it can change. In other words, past brain activity affects how ready the brain is to learn in the future.
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Each type of neuroplasticity can work independently from one another as well as collaboratively to support recovery and learning.
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