During synaptic plasticity the number and shapes of dendritic spines undergo radical reorganizations. Long-term potentiation (LTP) induction promotes spine head enlargement and the formation and stabilization of new spines. Long-term depression (LTD) results in their shrinkage and retraction."

he morphology of spines in developing neurons is affected by synaptic activity, hence contributing to the experience-dependent refinement of neuronal circuits, learning, and memory.

"In a developing brain, spines exhibit a high degree of structural and functional plasticity, reflecting the formation and elimination of synapses during the maturation of neuronal circuits.

Amnesia, a deficit in memory, can be caused by brain damage. Anterograde amnesia is the inability to store new memories; retrograde amnesia is the inability to retrieve old memories. These types of amnesia indicate that memory does have a storage process.25

However, where Piaget felt that children moved naturally through different stages of development, based on biological predispositions and their own individual interactions with the world, Vygotsky claimed that adult or peer intervention was a much more important part of the developmental process.