Explain what the plasticity of infants' brains refers to. Why is it an advantage for human infants to have a brain that is "plastic"? Describe the process of synaptogenesis and synaptic pruning and how these strengthen the brain.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The ability of the infant brain to change in form and function is referred to as plasticity. If you, as an adult, had half of your brain (one hemisphere) removed, the result would be catastrophic. You would lose movement in the opposite side of your body, and you would lose the functions handled in that hemisphere. However, until about age 4 or 5, children who have had one hemisphere removed to treat an otherwise untreatable condition, such as severe epilepsy, can recover almost full function (Eliot, 1999).
At various times within the first years of life, babies' brains produce so many new synaptic connections that the density of connections is greater than that found in the adult brain (Blakemore & Choudhury, 2006). However, many of these connections do not survive. In a process called pruning, synaptic connections that are not used deteriorate and disappear. Just as you prune away dead branches on a tree to strengthen it, this process of pruning away unused synapses strengthens the brain.