The role of brain plasticity in the processes of recovery of multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Introduction: Neuroplasticity refers to the potential that the brain has to reorganize by creating new neural pathways to adapt, as it needs. Think of the neurological changes being made in the brain as the brain's way of tuning itself to meet your needs. The more you focus and practice something the better you become at the new skill that you are learning or an obstacle you are trying to overcome. By doing this new neural connections are created in the brain as synapses that don't usually fire together do, which help us to sharpen our new skill. Materials and methods: Motor symptoms are common and disabling across the phases and forms of multiple sclerosis. Disease modifying treatments help to prevent their development, but most of their management is through rehabilitation. Current rehabilitation approaches are based on physical therapy tailored to the individual’s needs. The efficacy of these approaches, however, is limited, as it is purely based on clinical grounds, and is largely unpredictable in the individual case, where several factors, including location, extent, and severity of multiple sclerosis damage, can contribute to individual variation in rehabilitation outcomes. Therefore, an improved understanding of the neural processes underlying functional recovery and driven by rehabilitation, as well as the development of novel recovery interventions that fully exploit the individual patient’s potential to recover motor function remain a clinical necessity and a research priority. Discussion results: Rehabilitation of the damaged brain can foster reconnection of damaged neural circuits in multiple sclerosis. Learning mechanisms play an important part in this. We studied a triage of post-lesion states, depending on the loss of connectivity in particular circuits. A small loss of connectivity will tend to lead to autonomous recovery, whereas a major loss of connectivity will lead to permanent loss of function; for such individuals, a compensatory approach to recovery is required. Empirical data are implemented in a neural network model, and clinical recommendations for the practice of rehabilitation following brain damage are made. Conclusion: Cortical reorganization has been demonstrated in the motor network that mediates performance of a motor task in patients with multiple sclerosis. Rehabilitation of motor function is a major component of management that is supported by neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt to multiple sclerosis damage or disability. The need for novel rehabilitation approaches, underpinned by promoted and enhanced neuroplasticity, challenges traditional experimental designs. This challenge can be addressed using methodological advances, especially in neuroimaging, which allow improved understanding of mechanisms and detection of intervention effects.