Neuroplasticity
Imagine if every time you got on your bike, you had to relearn how to ride it. Or every time you got in your car, you had to relearn how to get to work. Or on the flipside, what if you remembered every single experience you had or thing you learned in school? Either you retain nothing, or everything. Thank goodness we have a happy medium due to neuroplasticity.
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to respond and change due to experiences. “Neuro” refers to the cells in our brain and nervous system, and “plasticity” refers to the flexibility of our brain. While our brain and neurons grow rapidly during the first few years of our life, our brain changes during our entire lifespan. Some connections in our brain are severed and others are strengthened, as we adapt to the environment we’re in. This ability to build new connections, rewire current pathways, and eliminate other pathways is neuroplasticity (Cherry, 2021).
There are many benefits to neuroplasticity. Because it allows the brain to change, it improves our learning and enhances our current cognitive abilities. If you were to ever suffer from a stroke or brain injury, neuroplasticity is key in recovering from that. If some functions are lost, neuroplasticity can help strengthen them (Cherry, 2021). It strengthens new and current connections. For example, if you have a few poor experiences with one kind of dog, your brain may tell you to avoid or be wary of that breed whenever you’re around it again. Or, if you have a good experience with a certain restaurant, you’re more likely to go there again or recommend it. You’ve adapted to the experiences around you.
It’s important to encourage neuroplasticity throughout your lifetime. No one wants to be stagnant, right? We can encourage adaptation and growth in several ways. First, never stop learning! Find new ways to encourage growth by exploring new environments. This could look like reading, learning a new instrument or language, traveling, etc. Put your brain through new experiences that force it to adapt (Cherry, 2021). Also, if you’ve learned something that you don’t want to lose, make sure you’re revisiting it occasionally. If you already speak another language, find ways to speak it, write it, etc. so that you retain that knowledge. Our brains recognize when we aren’t using pathways anymore, and eventually, we will start to lose them.
Next, make sure you’re getting adequate sleep. Rest encourages growth in the brain. Especially when you’re in a new environment or learning something new, make sure you’re giving your brain time to actually build those new connections. My favorite is last - exercise! Exercise has been proven to possibly help decrease loss in the hippocampus, which is involved in memory and learning (Cherry, 2021).
We really do grow and change throughout our lifetime. We can’t say we ever really stop growing because our brain is constantly changing. Take advantage of neuroplasticity!
Reference: Cherry, K. (2021). How experience changes brain plasticity. Very Well Mind. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-brain-plasticity-2794886.
Challenges/Points:
Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to change and adapt to new experiences.
We can encourage neuroplasticity throughout our lifetime by continuously learning new things, getting adequate sleep, and exercising. Try one of these things this week to encourage brain growth and development.
Without neuroplasticity, our brains would be stagnant, and we would have a hard time learning new things or remembering old information.
Questions:
What can you do this week to encourage neuroplasticity?
What are you currently doing to encourage new growth and connections in your brain?
What makes neuroplasticity important to you?
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