Download Running head: NEUROPLASTICITY AND RESILIENCE

Running head: NEUROPLASTICITY AND RESILIENCE
Neuroplasticity and Resilience:
Development Over the Lifespan
Abbie E. Siex
Salt Lake Community College
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The process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or
significant sources of stress — such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems
or workplace and financial stressors is resiliency. Resilience is not innate; it is an acquired trait
that is developed through certain thoughts and behaviors. Therefore, anyone has the ability to
become resilient. There are many ways for one who has faced adversity to build resiliency.
Research on resilience has shown that when one builds good relationships, sets realistic goals
and strives to achieve them, and takes care of one’s self, resiliency is strengthened (Comas-Diaz,
et al., n.d.). Both resiliency and neuroplasticity are developed throughout the lifespan and affect
all individuals differently. Neuroplasticity is defined as the brain's ability to change and adapt as
a result of experience. Neuroplasticity is a result of two phenomena, either a result of learning
with new memories and experiences, or as a result of the brain’s ability to adapt after damage has
been sustained. Until recently neuroplasticity was thought to only be involved in infancy and
early childhood and by early adulthood, the brain was essentially permanent in physical
structure. More recently, it has been discovered that neuroplasticity is a lifelong process
involving glial cells, neurons, and vascular cells. These cells work together and strengthen some
connections, while getting rid of others. This is called synaptic pruning, which allows the brain
to tailor to one’s ever changing surroundings (Cherry, n.d.).
As previously mentioned, neuroplasticity occurs over the lifespan. In “A Learning
Machine: Plasticity and Change Throughout the Life,” by Leah Nelson, it is stated, “The brain is
almost infinitely adaptable from earliest infancy through latest adulthood in capacity to bend,
stretch, expand, and specialize itself in response to challenges.” This means that through need
and/or desire to learn, the brain can shape itself to the individual and their circumstances. This is
shown several times throughout Nelson’s article. It is first shown by Gregg Recanzone’s
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experiment with owl monkeys. Recanzone gave the monkeys two tones and decreased the tone
difference over time. By the end of his experiment, he found that the monkeys could discriminate
between two tones that initially were indistinguishable. This result corresponded with the finding
of functional reorganization of the cerebral cortex. The neurons in the monkeys’ brains had
adapted. Michael Merzenich did something similar to humans. He initiated auditory training in
individuals from the ages 70-95. His subjects were able to recover cerebral cortex plasticity,
which compared to individuals 10 to 15 years younger than them. Merzenich also did a visual
training with even a higher plasticity recovery. Lifespan plasticity was also a finding of the final
presenter, Sir Michael Rutter. His experiment examined the long term effects on children in
Romanian orphanages, who were adopted by UK families. He found, through cognitive and
psychological tests, that most of the children initially tested as mentally retarded, but by age 11
they tested nearly normal. Of course the time that the child lived in the orphanage played a part
in their overall recovery, with those who had spent six months or less recovering almost
completely. Unfortunately, those who endured longer at an orphanage were not as lucky and
displayed more severe or long lasting effects (Nelson, 2006). All of these experiments
demonstrate the brain’s ability for neuroplasticity over the lifespan.
La Tanya and Tichelle showed great resiliency after suffering several years of sexual
abuse from their mother’s boyfriend, Earl Osborn. In Emily Bazelon’s article, “A Question of
Resilience,” it discusses the ways in which resiliency is an adaptive characteristic and how a
certain gene plays apart in resilience. By statistical standards, La Tanya and Tichelle should have
been unemployed, homeless, addicted to drugs/alcohol, and /or alone; this was not the case for
these two. They both exceeded expectations by graduating high school, having their own cars,
maintaining successful jobs, and living in their own apartments. This circumstance and others
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lead scientists to research the question, “How is it that some children show a certain resilience
after experiencing a trauma, and others do not?” An experiment, by Norman Garmezy and Ann
Masten, showed that children with good relationships with adults had a tremendous effect on
lessening the effects of adversity. To no surprise, La Tanya and Tichelle had a great support
system. Their grandma and a half-sister took them in and nurtured them. Resiliency has also
been evident when there are adults children can trust, and reinforcements that make the children
believe in themselves (Bazelon, 2006). The study of resilience is nearly 50 years old. However
recently, researchers have discovered a certain gene that can help promote resilience. All
individuals have the 5-HTT gene, but when adversity isn’t present, the gene does not express
itself. The scientific finding on the genetic basis for resiliency materialized in 2003, in a study by
Caspi and Moffitt. This study looked at 847 adults who had been mistreated as children or who
had experienced other life adversity. Subjects having two short alleles of the 5-HTT gene were
found incredibly likely to suffer depression. Those with one short allele were found to have an
intermediate risk in suffering from depression. Those with two long alleles faired the best, since
they had a high chance of recovering from these negative circumstances. Those with two long
alleles were individuals wearing armor, when facing adversity. Another study was done by
Stephen Suomi, who studies rhesus monkeys. Suomi took 500 rhesus monkeys, who share 96
percent of their genes with humans, including 5-HTT. He divided them into several groups.
Some lived with their mothers, while others were put through an experience similar to that of an
abused or neglected child. Suomi discovered that the motherless monkeys, who had a copy of the
short 5-HTT allele, were more likely to show fear, panic, and aggression, when placed next to a
strange monkey in another cage. Suomi’s idea was once again reinforced, when he and Bazelon
stepped inside a cage full of mothered and motherless monkeys. The motherless monkeys would
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quickly run and huddle together in the back of the cage, while the mothered monkeys stayed in
the middle, looking at the newcomers. Eventually, some monkeys from the huddled group would
show resilience and go towards the middle group. The monkeys that showed resilience most
often had the two long 5-HTT alleles. Both previous experiments were of great importance in
showing the connection between genes and an abusive surrounding. However, Joan Kaufman
wanted to extend on their research and include the effect of less important factors in abused
children’s lives. She studied 196 children between the ages of 5 and 15. Of the 196 children, 109
of them had been removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect. Joan took children of
different ethnicities and same social economic status and compared them to a second, nonabused
group of same racial diversity and economic status. Joan then surveyed all 196 children about
their moods in relation to mental health. Later, she used DNA testing to check the children’s 5HTT alleles. She found that abused children, with two short 5-HTT alleles, had a higher score for
depression than both the abused children, with two long alleles, and the nonabused children,
regardless of their alleles (Bazelon, 2006).
The signature assignment for Human Growth and Development vastly expanded my
knowledge of resiliency and neuroplasticity. Through my research, I discovered many valuable
tools to use when faced with adversity and how to become more resilient in the things that I find
difficult in life. With development being a lifelong journey, I want to understand the reasons and
norms of what I am going through. Resiliency plays a part in my development because it can
explain some of the reasons that I might have a harder or easier time than others, when going
through a death or family struggle. The factor of the resiliency gene allows me to understand my
responses to struggles, even though I have not been tested. Knowing that some individuals are
more resilient than others helps me to be more understanding, when dealing with other people.
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The research that has been done and is continuing in neuroplasticity brings me optimism for my
continuing development. As I develop, I can continue to expand and specialize my brain in the
areas that I find most important. I can also mold my brain to learn to overcome my OCD issues,
since neuroplasticity involves learning, experiencing, and memory formation (Cherry, n.d.). The
information that I have gained is important for others to know to help them to continue their
growth and development. With other individuals knowing the findings in resiliency studies, the
possibilities of helping those who have faced adversity are endless. This information could help
those who have suffered child abuse, those with PTSD, and others, who are going through
stressful times. Being aware of the resiliency gene allele can help people, like La Tanya, “Feel
better knowing there is a reason for life being hard” (Bazelon, 2006). There are many
possibilities to be gained from the knowledge from the neuroplasticity studies. Those suffering
from hearing and vision loss can reverse the effects, expanding on their development. Individuals
can strengthen neural connections that they have and build new ones with continued experience.
Our learning and development objectives are finally within our grasp.
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References
Bazelon, E. (2006, April 30). A question of resilience. The New York Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/30/magazine/30abuse.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Cherry, K. (n.d.). What is brain plasticity? Retrieved from
http://psychology.about.com/od/biopsychology/f/brain-plasticity.htm
Comas-Diaz, L., Luthar, S. S., Maddi, S. R., Oneill, K. H., Saakvitne, K. W., & Tedeschi, R. G.
(n.d.). The road to resilience. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/roadresilience.aspx
Nelson, L. (2006, August). A learning machine: Plasticity and change throughout life. APS
Observer, 19 (8), 27-28. Retrieved from
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2006/august-06/alearning-machine-plasticity-and-change-throughout-life.html
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