How Technology and Biology Combine to Cure Brain DamageNeuroplasticity is the name given to the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. For example, if one hemisphere of the brain is damaged, the intact hemisphere may take over some of the damaged section's functions.
In order to reconnect, neurons need to be stimulated through activity. Some recent inventions have shown technology's promise in augmenting the stimulation of neurons to compensate for injury and disease.
Paul Bach-y-Rita's Tactile Vision Sensory Substitution (TVSS), developed with Carter Collins at Smith-Kettlewell Institute has helped the blind see again. As the next video shows technical developments, such as miniaturization and electrical stimulation, have helped advance the use of sensory substitution devices.
Understanding the abilities of the brain is fundamental to effective teaching and learning. By stimulating appropriate sensory inputs, we can help learners build neural connections that enhance their cognitive abilities. For some under-served populations it would be like seeing education for the first time.
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When my mother had a stroke in 2001, she lost the ability to read, write and do math. She had always been the smartest person I knew, and to see the difference was appalling. I worked with her on jigsaw puzzles, word puzzles, magazines and newspaper articles, and keeping a journal.
Within 18 months, she had re-acquired the ability to read and write, but she never did get her math skills back. I have her journals from the last 3 years of her life, and can see her reading & writing skills grow almost daily. I had always thought she developed new pathways to relearn those things, and not just "found" the old pathways.
This new technology could be put to use helping people relearn necessary skills lost from strokes and accidents.
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