Plasticidad neural: Bases conceptuales, evidencia y su relevancia para la Psicología contemporánea

• Tirado-Santiago, Giovanni ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Puerto Rico System

     University of Puerto Rico System

     Puerto Rico

     
• Localización: Psicología(s), ISSN-e 1948-559X, Nº. 9, 2025, págs. 1-25
• Idioma: español
• Títulos paralelos:
  • Neural plasticity: Conceptual bases, evidence and its relevance to contemporary Psychology
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo (pdf)
  • Texto completo
• Resumen
  • español

    La plasticidad neural es la capacidad del cerebro para cambiar ante experiencias nuevas. Sin esta capacidad, no pueden surgir y establecerse conductas y estados psicológicos novedosos. En los seres humanos, la plasticidad neural provee un nivel de flexibilidad adaptativa sin paralelo con otras especies. Debido a esto, cualquier explicación sobre el desarrollo psicológico debe dar cuenta de cómo ocurre esta plasticidad. Este ensayo discute lo que es la plasticidad neural, los orígenes del concepto, la evidencia inicial que permitió entender cómo ocurre en mamíferos, y cuáles son los mecanismos que posibilitan el cambio en el sistema nervioso. Luego de esto se discute cómo se ha investigado la plasticidad en seres humanos a través de varios estudios emblemáticos. Se propone que entender la plasticidad neural es de pertinencia a diversas áreas y prácticas de la Psicología.

  • English

    Neural plasticity is the brain’s capacity to change in response to new experiences. Without this capacity, novel behaviors and psychological states cannot emerge and become established. In humans, neural plasticity provides a level of adaptive flexibility unparalleled with other species. Therefore, any explanation of psychological development must account for how this plasticity occurs. This essay discusses what neural plasticity is, the concept’s origins, the initial evidence that allowed us to understand how it occurs in mammals, and what are the mechanisms that enable change in the nervous system. Following this, it discusses how plasticity has been investigated in humans through several landmark studies. The essay proposes that understanding neural plasticity is relevant to various areas and practices within Psychology.

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