ABSTRACT
The attention to neurological rehabilitation and the development of terms like neuroplasticity and neurorehabilitation are the expression of a relatively new interest in recovery of function. Before this trend became evident, approximately 10-15 years ago, neuroscience considered the adult central nervous system (CNS) hard-wired and largely unmodifiable. The groundwork for this change was established in the 1950s and 1960s by the advances in understanding of synaptic physiology. Influential landmarks included the finding that nerve growth factor (NGF) is expressed in the adult brain leading to the hypothesis that it might continue to exert trophic effects later in life (Levi-Montalcini & Angeletti, 1968); the demonstration of sprouting in the CNS (Raisman & Field, 1973; Wall & Egger, 1971); and the finding that long-term potentiation (LTP) induced by repetitive stimulation in the hippocampus enhances synaptic transmission (Bliss & Gardner, 1973).
