Neuroplasticity is a mushy word???

[shoshin]

I find the idea of neuroplasticity fascinating and even wrote a health page on it (http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Multiple%20Sclerosis/Neuroplasticity-and-MS/show/424?cid=36)

Anyway, I recently read this interesting post at http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2010/06/neuroplasticity_is_a.html which argues that the word as it's used is essentially meaningless.

"Neuroplasticity sounds very technical, but there is no accepted scientific definition for the term and, in its broad sense, it means nothing more than 'something in the brain has changed'. As your brain is always changing the term is empty on its own.

"This is from the introduction to the influential scientific book Toward a Theory of Neuroplasticity:

    "'Given the central important of neuroplasticity, an outsider would be forgiven for assuming that it was
      a well defined and that a basic and universal framework served to direct current and future hypotheses
      and experimentation. Sadly, however, this is not the case. While many neuroscientists use the word
      neuroplasticity as an umbrella term it means different things to different researchers in different subfields...
      In brief, a mutually agreed upon framework does not appear to exist.'"

The post does give a nice overview of the types of things that might end up under the neuroplasticity umbrella if you're interested in the topic.

sho

[Quixotic1]

ooooh!  Can I have a cupcake?  Q

[Lulu54]

Interesting thought - I went back and read your HP.  I love the cupcake!