Cited by 129Traumatic Brain Injury ResearchNeurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanismsTraumatic Brain Injury and Neurovascular Disturbances

Environmental enrichment and the sensory brain: The role of enrichment in remediating brain injury

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Alwis, Dasuni S., Rajan, Ramesh·2014·Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience

Abstract

The brain's life-long capacity for experience-dependent plasticity allows adaptation to new environments or to changes in the environment, and to changes in internal brain states such as occurs in brain damage. Since the initial discovery by Hebb (1947) that environmental enrichment (EE) was able to confer improvements in cognitive behavior, EE has been investigated as a powerful form of experience-dependent plasticity. Animal studies have shown that exposure to EE results in a number of molecular and morphological alterations, which are thought to underpin changes in neuronal function and ultimately, behavior. These consequences of EE make it ideally suited for investigation into its use as a potential therapy after neurological disorders, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this review, we aim to first briefly discuss the effects of EE on behavior and neuronal function, followed by a review of the underlying molecular and structural changes that account for EE-dependent plasticity in the normal (uninjured) adult brain. We then extend this review to specifically address the role of EE in the treatment of experimental TBI, where we will discuss the demonstrated sensorimotor and cognitive benefits associated with exposure to EE, and their possible mechanisms. Finally, we will explore the use of EE-based rehabilitation in the treatment of human TBI patients, highlighting the remaining questions regarding the effects of EE.

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Crossref · 10.3389/fnsys.2014.00156

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  • Environmental enrichment in animal models of mental and neurodegenerative disorders has been linked to morphological changes such as dendritic and synaptic growth and neurogenesis in the hippocampus as well as molecular alterations including neurotransmitter levels, neurotransmitter receptor expression and neurotrophin expression.

    “environmental enrichment in animal models of mental and neurodegenerative disorders has been linked to morphological changes such as dendritic and synaptic growth and neurogenesis in the hippocampus as well as molecular alterations including neurotransmitter levels, neurotransmitter receptor expression and neurotrophin expression (for review, see Alwis & Rajan, 2014;Baroncelli et al., 2010).”

    From The applied implications of epigenetics in anxiety, affective and stress-related disorders - A review and synthesis on psychosocial stress, psychotherapy and prevention (2020) · cites this paper as Alwis & Rajan, 2014

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  1. Hebb D. O. (1949). The Organization of Behaviour. New York, NY: Wiley

Authors
Alwis, D. S., & Rajan, R.
Affiliations
Monash University (AU)
Corresponding author
Rajan, Ramesh
Venue
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience
Published
2014-09-02
Volume
8
Pages
156-156
ISSN
1662-5137 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2074398187
Cited by
129
References
335
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 8
FWCI
1.11
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Traumatic Brain Injury Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Traumatic Brain Injury and Neurovascular Disturbances
Keywords
environmental enrichment, experience-dependent plasticity, traumatic brain injury, brain injury rehabilitation, sensory processing, sensorimotor function, cognitive recovery, neuronal function

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