ABSTRACT

Neuroplasticity is often defined as the neural functional and structural changes in response to experience and environmental stimulation (Shaw, Lanius and Vandendoel, 1994). Contrary to earlier views that structural brain changes do not occur after birth, evidence from research conducted over the past few decades now suggests that neuroplastic changes are present in the adult brain. One of the first studies to show this phenomenon was a study by Maguire and colleagues (1998, 2006) showing that London taxi drivers display larger grey matter volumes in neural areas associated with spatial memory than controls. Changes in neural structures appeared to be linked to repeated practice of skills needed for their profession. The same was later found for typists and musicians (see Rapibour and Raz, 2012). Such changes were not only found after repeated practice of a skill over an extended period of time, but also when extensive training or practising a specific new skill was done over a relatively short period of time, for instance learning to juggle or studying for a medical exam (ibid.). Such breakthroughs led to a new wave of studies investigating novel forms of training and stimulation techniques to induce neural changes and thereby hoping to improve cognitive functioning. The following novel forms of cognitive rehabilitation are discussed in this chapter: computer-based cognitive retraining (CBCR); non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS); and virtual reality training (VRT).