RE: [xmca] Plasticity and Physiotherapy

[larry smolucha <lsmolucha@hotmail.com>]

Message from Franince Smolucha:
My understanding is that research showing that some new neurons could form through post-natal mitosisis only revolutionary in that it was previously thought that mitosis in neurons only occurred in the fetus.Upon autopsy, staining for new DNA has shown some minute evidence of new brain cells in adulthood.
However, the tremendous brain growth during childhood is due to growth of the cells not from the formation of new cells.Rehabilitation of a damaged brain function in a child is based on stimulating brain cell growth and newinter-neural connections. Adult rehabilitation is based on relearning a function that is now directed by a differentgroup of brain cells that were previously used for something else. New neural pathways and connectionsare established during speech and physical therapy, but this does not mean new neurons are being created throughmitosis.
> From: monica.hansen@vandals.uidaho.edu
> To: ablunden@mira.net; xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> Subject: RE: [xmca] Plasticity and Physiotherapy
> Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2012 14:23:00 +0000
> CC: 
> 
> Thanks, Andy. This helps me make the connection. There are times when I think my brain has too much plasticity.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [mailto:xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of Andy Blunden
> Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2012 8:56 PM
> To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
> Subject: Re: [xmca] Plasticity and Physiotherapy
> 
> Monica, the topic "plasticity and physiotherapy" began about how a "paramedical" profession, "physiotherpay," knew about "plasiticity" and were using it practically, scientifically and professionally in rehabilitating brain damaged soldiers or stroke sufferers after they were handed over to their care by the neurologists. They have had this knowledge at least since the 1940s, 50 years before, with much triumphalism and trumpetting, the high status profession of neuroscience announced it as a new discovery of theirs (like the European sailors "discovering" Australia). And without any knowledge of what was happening in the USSR.
> 
> I found a 1950s issue of the British Medical Journal where the writer complained that the doctors knew nothing of what happened to their patients after they were handed over to the "nurses" to care for and told the "nurses" nothing of what had happened to the patient prior to them being handed over. So the culture was set up to block a complete scientific knowledge from being developed.
> 
> Your commentary continues this theme, pointing to respect for the knowledge high status professions but the serious underestimation of the knowledge of low-status professions, and how this is a problem.
> 
> Andy
> 
> monica.hansen wrote:
> > I am trying to remember how this is relevant to the subject of plasticity and physiotherapy... these are all just observations of how concepts are culural, not chemical. The subjective experience of understanding a concept arises from neural activation, so the concepts held by those in particular discourses of "normal" sciences are clearly going to be developed (involving more neural activation and plasticity) but developed because of the interraction within the discourse. Thus, sometimes traitional ways of doing and thinking are perpetuated even though we can show evidence why they shouldn't be.
> >   
> 
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