title: Neural reuse in the organization and development of the brain.
abstract: Neural reuse is the process by which neural elements originally developed for one purpose are put to many different subsequent uses. In this brief review I will outline the role of neural reuse in the development of the brain. Special attention will be paid to elucidating and differentiating between two different mechanisms of neurocognitive development: Hebbian plasticity, the importance of which is already well known, and a neural search mechanism that supports the establishment of new functional partnerships in the brain. I describe how these two mechanisms work in concert throughout development to produce the functional architecture we observe in the adult brain; outline the evidence for the importance of neural reuse; offer suggestions for some clinical implications of neural reuse; and point to future research directions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Franklin & Marshall College, P.O. Box 3003, Lancaster, PA, 17604-3003, USA.
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D006803:Human Development / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*