The Amazing Facts Of Brain Plasticity
Now, we all know about plasticity of brain.
By plasticity, it is not meant that the brain is made of plastic.
What we talk about is the neuroplasticity of the brain.
Our brains keep changing because they reorganize themselves.
Reorganization of a brain refers to the connections that are newly formed between one brain cell and another.
These brain cells are otherwise called neurons.
This neuroplasticity happens due to many factors.
Genetic factors, the environment in which we live, our learning and our activities determine this plasticity.
In addition to these factors, brain plasticity may happen when there is a brain injury due to which a few functions of the brain are lost.
The brain has the capacity to move the lost functions to a different healthy location.
For example, even if a person loses the capacity to move his/her hand due to a brain injury, by stimulation and practice, movement of the hand can be restored.
This means that the brain slowly shifts the commands and functions pertaining to this activity to a healthy region within itself.
This has been proved many times and this fact is also corroborated by Norman Doidge in his book "The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science".
Another amazing thing about our brains is that throughout our adulthood, when we learn new things or when we try to improve our memory, neuroplasticity happens.
There is a misconception among all of us that as we age, the connections between neurons become static.
But, this is not true.
Even when we age, if we learn new things, connections between neurons change and new connections also form.
If a person tries to develop his/her expertise in a particular field, the specific area of the brain that deals with the field grows to facilitate the learning.
Likewise, it has been proved that in those who know more number of languages, brain plasticity is more than others.
The same is the case with people who are more involved in solving mathematical problems.
Poets, artists, painters and all those who have to use their imagination and creativity have more brain plasticity compared to others.
A few people may be interested in mind games such as crossword puzzles, Suduko, etc.
For them also, new connections keep forming between neurons and the specific area associated with these games will get strengthened.
Researchers have also proved that brain placsticity is more among musicians compared to non-musicians.
Professional musicians have been found to have the highest cortex volume.
In amateur musicians, cortex or gray matter volume is intermediate.
In non-musicians, it is the lowest.
By learning abstract things also, people can improve the plasticity of their brains.
This is enabled due to the memory retrieval and learning functions involved in the learning process of abstract things.
By plasticity, it is not meant that the brain is made of plastic.
What we talk about is the neuroplasticity of the brain.
Our brains keep changing because they reorganize themselves.
Reorganization of a brain refers to the connections that are newly formed between one brain cell and another.
These brain cells are otherwise called neurons.
This neuroplasticity happens due to many factors.
Genetic factors, the environment in which we live, our learning and our activities determine this plasticity.
In addition to these factors, brain plasticity may happen when there is a brain injury due to which a few functions of the brain are lost.
The brain has the capacity to move the lost functions to a different healthy location.
For example, even if a person loses the capacity to move his/her hand due to a brain injury, by stimulation and practice, movement of the hand can be restored.
This means that the brain slowly shifts the commands and functions pertaining to this activity to a healthy region within itself.
This has been proved many times and this fact is also corroborated by Norman Doidge in his book "The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science".
Another amazing thing about our brains is that throughout our adulthood, when we learn new things or when we try to improve our memory, neuroplasticity happens.
There is a misconception among all of us that as we age, the connections between neurons become static.
But, this is not true.
Even when we age, if we learn new things, connections between neurons change and new connections also form.
If a person tries to develop his/her expertise in a particular field, the specific area of the brain that deals with the field grows to facilitate the learning.
Likewise, it has been proved that in those who know more number of languages, brain plasticity is more than others.
The same is the case with people who are more involved in solving mathematical problems.
Poets, artists, painters and all those who have to use their imagination and creativity have more brain plasticity compared to others.
A few people may be interested in mind games such as crossword puzzles, Suduko, etc.
For them also, new connections keep forming between neurons and the specific area associated with these games will get strengthened.
Researchers have also proved that brain placsticity is more among musicians compared to non-musicians.
Professional musicians have been found to have the highest cortex volume.
In amateur musicians, cortex or gray matter volume is intermediate.
In non-musicians, it is the lowest.
By learning abstract things also, people can improve the plasticity of their brains.
This is enabled due to the memory retrieval and learning functions involved in the learning process of abstract things.
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