Neuropharmacology

Biography

Biography: Marina Zueva

Abstract

Healthy functions of the brain and visual system are suggested to be intimately tied to the fractal complexity of the temporal/spatial structure of the environmental visual, auditory and other cues. The simplification of incoming sensory information and alterations of intrinsic neuronal noise may contribute to the simplification of the brain morphology, connectivity and activity in age-related neurodegenerative disorders, such as glaucoma and Alzheimer disease. Preservation of the rich variety of environmental stimuli throughout life is substantiated to be crucial for brain health. In certain conditions, including neurodegeneration and amblyopia, this may demand to create a fractal environment (e.g., the fractal flicker). Numerous studies evidence that the neuroplasticity of adult’s brain may be reactivated by a variety of ways. The strategies of Environmental Enrichment (EE) are well studied now. They include the sensory, motor, perceptual and social EE and likely provide a rewiring of neuronal circuits by the opening of windows of neuroplasticity similar to the developmental plasticity. We should note that the wealth of sensations that we receive during the life may be considered as the most significant aspect of EE for the human brain. In addition to the high art, music and our creative activity, the artificial fractal environmental cues may be useful as a therapeutic strategy and ways of rehabilitation and prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. There are various conditions under which a deficiency of complexity of sensations and images created by the brain may occur that we likely have to consider as a “fractal deprivation."