Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Contributors
- Preface and Acknowledgments
- Lifespan Development and the Brain
- PART ONE SETTING THE STAGE ACROSS THE AGES OF THE LIFESPAN
- PART TWO NEURONAL PLASTICITY AND BIOCULTURAL CO-CONSTRUCTION: MICROSTRUCTURE MEETS THE EXPERIENTIAL ENVIRONMENT
- PART THREE NEURONAL PLASTICITY AND BIOCULTURAL CO-CONSTRUCTION: ATYPICAL BRAIN ARCHITECTURES
- 5 Sensory Input–Based Adaptation and Brain Architecture
- 6 Blindness: A Source and Case of Neuronal Plasticity
- PART FOUR BIOCULTURAL CO-CONSTRUCTION: SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS AND DOMAINS
- PART FIVE PLASTICITY AND BIOCULTURAL CO-CONSTRUCTION IN LATER LIFE
- PART SIX BIOCULTURAL CO-CONSTRUCTION: FROM MICRO- TO MACROENVIRONMENTS IN LARGER CULTURAL CONTEXTS
- PART SEVEN EPILOGUE
- Author Index
- Subject Index
- References
5 - Sensory Input–Based Adaptation and Brain Architecture
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 July 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Contributors
- Preface and Acknowledgments
- Lifespan Development and the Brain
- PART ONE SETTING THE STAGE ACROSS THE AGES OF THE LIFESPAN
- PART TWO NEURONAL PLASTICITY AND BIOCULTURAL CO-CONSTRUCTION: MICROSTRUCTURE MEETS THE EXPERIENTIAL ENVIRONMENT
- PART THREE NEURONAL PLASTICITY AND BIOCULTURAL CO-CONSTRUCTION: ATYPICAL BRAIN ARCHITECTURES
- 5 Sensory Input–Based Adaptation and Brain Architecture
- 6 Blindness: A Source and Case of Neuronal Plasticity
- PART FOUR BIOCULTURAL CO-CONSTRUCTION: SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS AND DOMAINS
- PART FIVE PLASTICITY AND BIOCULTURAL CO-CONSTRUCTION IN LATER LIFE
- PART SIX BIOCULTURAL CO-CONSTRUCTION: FROM MICRO- TO MACROENVIRONMENTS IN LARGER CULTURAL CONTEXTS
- PART SEVEN EPILOGUE
- Author Index
- Subject Index
- References
Summary
ABSTRACT
It is well established that brain development depends on the interaction between the basic components of the nervous system (nature) and the environment (nurture). This interaction, however, relies on a number of rules that could modify not only the organization of neural systems, but also their function. In this chapter, we report results on the plasticity of the visual system in animal and human models, using a variety of methodological approaches. In particular, we describe major findings regarding plasticity that result from modifications of the visual input through lesions in the various stages of the visual pathway (peripheral and central). Possible mechanisms for such neural reorganization are also discussed.
NATURE VERSUS NURTURE: ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ON BRAIN PLASTICITY
One of the oldest issues in modern psychology and biology concerns the nature versus nurture conundrum. Miscellaneous inquiries have been explored in this topic, such as “to what extent can genetic dispositions endow behaviors?” and “to what degree can the environment shape these?” It is well established that brain development depends on the interaction between the basic components of the nervous system (nature) and the stimulating environment (nurture). However, this interaction relies on a number of rules that could modify not only the organization of neural systems, but also their function. As we consider the main principles of evolution, we focus on the characteristics of the brain that are inheritable.
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- Chapter
- Information
- Lifespan Development and the BrainThe Perspective of Biocultural Co-Constructivism, pp. 111 - 133Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006
References
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