Neuroplasticity Flashcards
7 cards from real RTT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Neuroplasticity flashcards as text
Which neuroplasticity researcher's work most directly supports the RTT principle that 'neurons that fire together, wire together'?
Answer: Donald Hebb
Donald Hebb's 1949 postulate — that co-active neurons strengthen their synaptic connection — is the foundational principle underlying RTT's use of repetition and visualization.
In RTT, a client who has experienced trauma may have a hyperactive HPA axis. How does this affect neuroplastic change?
Answer: Chronic cortisol suppresses hippocampal neurogenesis and impairs new memory formation
Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which suppresses hippocampal neurogenesis and LTP, making new positive learning harder — RTT's relaxation protocol counteracts this by lowering cortisol.
An RTT therapist helps a client reframe a painful childhood memory as 'the best thing that happened because it made me resilient.' This technique leverages which neural process?
Answer: Memory reconsolidation — reactivated memories become temporarily malleable and can be updated
Memory reconsolidation occurs when a retrieved memory re-enters a labile state and can be modified before being re-stored, providing the neurobiological window RTT reframing exploits.
Which brain network's increased activity is associated with the mind-wandering and self-referential thinking that RTT aims to transform?
Answer: Default Mode Network (DMN)
The Default Mode Network (DMN) is active during self-referential thought and ruminative loops, and RTT's hypnotic focus interrupts DMN dominance to allow new self-narratives to form.
RTT encourages clients to 'catch themselves' when old thoughts arise and redirect to new beliefs. This practice supports which neuroplastic mechanism?
Answer: Competitive plasticity — new pathways strengthen while old ones weaken from disuse
Competitive plasticity means neural resources shift toward frequently used pathways and away from neglected ones — actively redirecting thoughts strengthens new circuits and weakens old ones.
A key RTT principle is that the mind responds to the pictures it makes and the words it says. The neuroscientific term for the brain region processing self-generated mental imagery is:
Answer: Visual cortex and associated imagery networks
Mental imagery activates the visual cortex and a distributed network including prefrontal and parietal areas, making vivid hypnotic visualization neurologically equivalent to real visual experience.
RTT holds that transformation happens when the subconscious accepts a new belief as true. Neuroplastically, 'acceptance' reflects:
Answer: Integration of new information into stable long-term memory networks via consolidation
Lasting belief change requires new neural representations to be consolidated into long-term memory networks, becoming as automatic and 'true-feeling' as the old belief once was.