Paul Bach-y-Rita

This led to a belief that treatment for many brain conditions was impractical and unjustified, or that even changing our character was unfeasible. But new discoveries in neuroscience have shown that the brain is actually extremely malleable. In fact, it is always changing with everything we think and experience. We no longer have to succumb to the belief that degeneration of faculties such as memory and mobility are due to old age, but from a lack of practice. The brain can restructure itself to compensate for loss (e.g. blindness, deafness, learning disabilities). Or one can even rewire their brain to develop new abilities and modes of thinking. This capacity for the brain to change in a myriad of ways is called neuroplasticity. Dr. Paul Bach-y-Rita was a pioneer of neuroplasticity. In the late 1960s he confirmed the brains ability for sensory substitution — the ability to receive information from one sense and interpreted as if it was coming through another sense. He did so by creating a chair that enabled blind people to “see” through information received through their sense of touch. This machine was composed of a camera that sent signals to a chair with vibrating plates, which the blind…

three joined structured in the inner ear which gives us a sense of balance and provide our body with information about orientation and movement of our body in space. Cheryl vestibular system is severely damage which makes her constantly felt like she is falling over. Paul Bach y Rita, a professor at University of Wisconsin Medical School and his team have developed a…

Brain Plasticity refers to the ability of the brain to change its structure or functions by changing the neural connections. Real life evidences such as Paul Bach-y-Rita‟s father‟s recovery after stroke, increased gray matter volume in London taxi drivers‟ hippocampus, etc. have supported the theory of neuroplasticity. This paper also discusses the applications of brain plasticity. Some of these include restoration of vision, recovery from brain injury and working of Brain Computer Interface and…