Category: The Brain

The Brain: A basic understanding of how it works.

7 minute read Take-home message The brain is mostly made up of two types of cells, neurons, and glial cells. The neurons transmit messages while the glial cells provide structural and metabolic support, insulation and guidance during development. Neurological disorders all involve malfunction of or damage to the nervous system Understanding how the brain communicates messages is essential when choosing the correct OT treatment approach Why is it important for OT’s to have a basic understanding of brain physiology? Understanding how messages are received and transmitted by the brain, and what the different areas of the brain are...

Neuroplasticity: Rewiring the Brain After Trauma (And in Daily Life)

The Brain

The Takeaway Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to change its structure and function in response to an input. If damage occurs along a neural pathway, the brain will try to re-organise itself to reroute information along a non-damaged neural pathway. This is less efficient than the original, so messages can take longer to arrive at the destination. Kleim and Jones (2008) outlined ten principles of neuroplasticity. These are important to consider when planning treatment. Millions of people have benefited from rehabilitation programmes based on the theory of a plastic (malleable) brain. While research is still ongoing in...