Which term describes the brain's ability to reorganize and adapt in response to experiences?

Neuroplasticity refers specifically to the brain's remarkable ability to change, adapt, and reorganize itself throughout an individual's life in response to learning experiences, injuries, or environmental changes. This plasticity allows the brain to develop new neural connections and pathways, enabling it to adapt to new information, overcome challenges, and even recover from damage. It is a fundamental concept in understanding how individuals learn and grow cognitively.

Neurodevelopment, while related, refers to the process of brain development that occurs primarily during infancy and childhood, focusing more on structural and functional maturation rather than the ongoing adaptability of the adult brain. Cognitive flexibility is an important aspect of cognitive functioning that allows individuals to switch between thinking about different concepts or to adapt their thinking when faced with new information or changing rules; however, it does not encompass the broader structural changes in the brain. Synaptic pruning is a specific process that occurs during neurodevelopment where unnecessary neural connections are eliminated, which is part of how the brain becomes more efficient, but it does not capture the overarching adaptability and reorganization of the brain in response to various experiences the way neuroplasticity does.