extremity joints for balance and to rotate the body to swing through the ball ; all the time tracking the ball with the eyes , cognitively remembering the usual court position of the opponent to determine in which direction to hit the ball , and experiencing the psychological / emotional feelings that are involved in competition .
Long-Term Memory and Neural Plasticity
Therefore , every experience we encounter in our lives results in the formation of an encoded neuronal memory pattern . When first created , this memory pattern is unstable and located in short-term memory . As such , it can usually be accessed for only a few moments . If we want to place a memory into longterm memory , allowing for a more automatic recollection of the memory , we need to stabilize / consolidate it . The key is repetition . The consolidation of a memory pattern results from the repetitive firing of the neurons within the pathways of the memory pattern . With repetition come the functional and structural changes in the neuronal pathways that are the hallmark of neuronal plasticity . Shorter-term changes are functional ; longer-term changes are structural .
Emotional Plasticity
Pathways for emotions and psychology have also been shown to be plastic . Indeed , the entire field of talk-therapy could be viewed as a means of becoming aware of unhealthy memory patterns and learning how to change them . The limbic system of the brain is a group of brain structures that are generally considered to be important for emotions . Neuronal emotional plasticity is one reason why a client might have a difficult time letting go of negative feelings . Given the interplay between the motor and limbic systems , emotional plasticity memory patterns also explain why body armoring occurs and why clients may have emotional releases when certain areas of the body are touched .
Neuronal Plasticity
With early repetition , as a synapse is repetitively fired , the first neural change is functional strengthening of the synapses . This occurs for two reasons . One is that the conductance of potassium ( K +) ions within the pre-synaptic neuron is changed ; this causes the action potential to lengthen in time , resulting in more neurotransmitter being released . The second functional change is that the transport of the neurotransmitter within the pre-synaptic neuron is increased , making it more available for release . The sum of these two functional changes is that more neurotransmitter is released by the pre-synaptic neuron and therefore picked up by the post-synaptic neuron , increasing the likelihood that the postsynaptic neuron will fire and continue the impulse down the memory pattern ’ s neuronal pathway ( Figure 1 ).
Pain Sensitization
Facilitation of pain pathways is termed central sensitization , or simply sensitization . This concept is of extreme importance in the world of manual and movement therapies . If a client has experienced chronic pain , then even if the physical cause of the pain is removed , the facilitation of the pain pathways can create a sensitization of pain in this pathway so that the degree of their pain will be out of proportion to the degree of the physical damage . In these cases , neural plasticity has created a learned pattern of pain that may last for months , years , or indefinitely . The function of sensitization is debated , but it is likely that it acts to heighten the client ’ s awareness of pain stimuli in a vulnerable region of the body . Given that pain alerts us to physical damage that is occurring or is likely to occur , increased pain sensitization could be viewed as an effective and vigilant warning system that might prevent further damage . The reality is that the pain is overly vigilant and to the client experiencing sensitization , the chronic pain is not appreciated . Interestingly , the reverse of sensitization is also possible . Suppression of pain , termed habituation , can also occur . This results in a lessened degree of pain relative to physical damage that is present .
Figure 1 . Neurotransmitters are released from the presynaptic neuron , cross the synapse , and are picked up by the by the postsynaptic neuron .
198 | vol28 | no4 | JATMS