Plasticity: The evolution of the concept in the neurosciences in the twentieth and twenty-first century
I investigate the conditions under which new empirical and theoretical approaches emerge and become accepted in science. My analysis focuses on the concept of plasticity, which captures the ability of the nervous system to change in response to changing demands on the organism. The dissemination and differentiation of plasticity into over 80 different concepts is linked to a fundamental transformation of the neurosciences that took place during the second half of the twentieth century and continues to the present Akbaritabar and Rubin, 2024. As a result of this transformation, the understanding of the nervous system as dynamic and capable of lifelong adaptation has become established. This has led to a reorientation of research and therapy of the nervous system, which is reflected in the way researchers use the concept of plasticity.
The development of plasticity as a concept is analysed using two complementary approaches. The bibliometric analysis serves to determine the distribution and differentiation of plasticity in scientific publications during the second half of the twentieth century up to the present day. The role of plasticity in the research process is explored by interviews with four researchers who have played a central role in the reorientation of their field of research and thus in the transformation of the neurosciences. The researchers were first interviewed in 2009, with a second interview taking place between 2019 and 2022. This gave the interviewees the opportunity to comment on the importance of plasticity in the development of their research and the neurosciences at large.
The results of the two analyses are considered in a historical and societal context. Of particular interest are the interconnections between the scientific understanding of the nervous system as capable of lifelong adaptation and a changing life-world.
