In a highly plastic cerebral cortex,
◦ the areas of the brain are strongly committed to specific functions, and there is a high capacity for learning.
◦ if a part of the cortex is damaged, other parts can take over the tasks it would have handled.
◦ spatial skills develop more rapidly than language skills and are easier to recover after injury.
◦ the right and left hemispheres of the brain have become strongly lateralized.