Plasticity is a specific endowment of the nervous system to develop, to react or to adjust to the internal and external 'environmental changes, both in the physiological and pathological conditions. Cumulative evidence has revealed the dynamism of the nervous system, based on the balance between the rigidity and plasticity. Different aspects of neuroplasticity can employ common general cellular mechanism. Effects of plasticity can be either positive or negative changes during the development (evolutional plasticity), after the short-term exposition (reactive plasticity), after the long-term or permanent stimuli (adaptational plasticity), and during functional or structural recovery of the damaged neuronal circuits (reparation plasticity). Manifestations of plasticity have probably the same basis, irrespective of a cause, which triggered them, or the brain region where they were accomplished. Activity of neuroplastic processes appears to be especially high in the immature nervous tissue.

Institute of Physiology of the 1st Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague Czech Republic