Scientific research since the late 1950’s has demonstrated the adaptability of the human brain. No longer can the brain be thought of as a hard-wired system with little ability for self-repair. Rather, this scientific evidence shows that the brain has an enormous potential for recovery of function following injury. In "Brain Injury, tapping the potential within" (published in 1986), Ian Hunter was one of the first people to highlight the brain's plasticity and adaptability. Since then, books such as “The Brain that Changes Itself” by Norman Doidge have been instrumental in educating the public about the brain's powers of recovery.
This adaptability of the brain is often referred to as its 'plasticity'. Paul Bach-y-Rita, an American neuroscientist states that: “Brain plasticity refers to the adaptive capacities of the central nervous system - its ability to modify its own structural organization and functioning. It is an adaptive response to functional demand ... plasticity permits enduring functional changes to take place.”
If you want to find out more, this research has been summarised under the following categories: