Abstract
Vicariation has long been suggested as a mechanism for recovery of function following brain damage. Essentially, this concept involves the ability of one part of the brain to substitute for the function of another. Vicariation has been the source of much debate in neuroscience and lies at the heart of the enduring controversy known as localization of function. The idea that another area of the brain can take over the function of a damaged area following brain injury is difficult to reconcile with the concept that specific functions are located in specific areas of the brain. If there exists an isomorphic relationship between the neurological and behavioral, how could the behavior return without a parallel regrowth of the neural tissue? And if other parts of the brain also have an isomorphic relationship with other sets of behaviors, how is it possible for one or more of these neurological areas to take on new behaviors?
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© 1988 Plenum Press, New York
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Slavin, M.D., Laurence, S., Stein, D.G. (1988). Another Look at Vicariation. In: Finger, S., Levere, T.E., Almli, C.R., Stein, D.G. (eds) Brain Injury and Recovery. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0941-3_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0941-3_11
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