Neuroplasticity is the theory that the human brain changes due to external/environmental stimuli or injury. The theory states that brains are constantly evolving throughout your lifetime. They can reorganise themselves to create new neuropathways and even can change localisation of specific functions. These changes are mainly caused by development, experiences, environmental stimuli, or injuries. When it comes to injury, cortical remapping will occur, which is when brain area X takes over the role of brain area Y because brain area Y is unable to fulfil that role anymore.

Specifically, there are 2 phenomenons you need to know: Dendritic Branching and Neural Pruning. Dendritic branching is the idea that when a specific neural pathway is required for external activities, new synaptic connections will be created. This will cause the transmission of messages to be more efficient. Neural Pruning is the idea that when certain synaptic pathways are not used, they will disappear to preserve energy. This is essentially the idea of using it or losing it. Neuroplasticity can have long term effects called long term potentiation. It is the theory that as you use certain synaptic connections for long periods of time, it will lead to a long-lasting increase in signal transmission of neurons.