Brain Plasticity

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The human brain is an awesome and amazing organizational structure. Plasticity of the brain is a fascinating and extremely hot topic topic in brain research. Norman Doidge, Canadian psychologist says it is “One of the most extraordinary discoveries of the 20th century.” This YouTube video is not only heart warming, but also demonstrates the miraculous resilience our brain possesses.

Just what is plasticity of the brain and what types of impact might it have in our own brain health? At first the term itself sounded very odd to me. Plastic cups and containers came to mind immediately. Brain plasticity is nothing like the hard plastic we use everyday to store food or carry water. Brain plasticity refers to the brains ability to actually change. It is not static as we may have believed, but responds to new learning and experiences. Actually it is cortical remapping where brain activity associated with a particular function can move to a different location in the brain as you just viewed in the video. Brain plasticity is a physical process simple in a way and yet extraordinarily complex. New neural connections can be made and refined or made weak and even severed. The gray matter in our brains can shrink or become thicker. All of these changes reflect new or improved skills that we learn, memory lapses that we have or a weakened skill.

The brain is amazing. It does not stop developing when we are young, but has the capacity for continuous physical, chemical and brain functionality change even when we are old. We can actually retrain our brains. A type of an anti-aging process for our brain. The key, of course, is to know which mechanisms to target, how to exercise them and which activities work the best. Not only can we learn new skills as we grow older, but the possibilities of brain plasticity for brain health and science are tremendous. New therapy for treatment of all types of cognitive problems such as stroke, traumatic brain injuries, Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, dementia and cancer patients with brain damage from chemo therapy are possible. Brain plasticity knowledge is causing a revolution in brain science and medicine.

Brain plasticity knowledge is important for everyday life too. We all want to live longer, add a few years to our life, be healthier and we want our brains to be vibrant and healthy as well. It is important for brain health to exercise our bodies and our brains, learn new tasks, challenge ourselves, explore new horizons and expand our capabilities. Just because you are growing old does not mean that you are not capable of new and wonderful things. Be a better older person and take care of your brain. It is a vital part of maintaining your youth and anti-aging.

To read about the seven rules of the brain try this site: www.harmonyhealth.com

To check out a computer based brain fitness program try this site: www.positscience.com

Happy anti-aging everyone.

Chuck and Gayle