Neuroplasticity: A way to look forward to a positive future

By Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

I read and reviewed Sharon Begley’s book, Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain (Ballantine Books, 2007).  I gave it an outstanding review ---- five stars out of five.  Then I read and reviewed Shawn Achor’s book, The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work  (Crown Business, 2010).  I gave it an outstanding review — five stars out of five.  What these two books have in common — and I’m sure there will be many more that discuss the topic — is neuroplasticity — the basis of and foundation for neurogenesis (brain growth).
    
At the web site MedicineNet, the definition of neuroplasticity is provided: “The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. Neuroplasticity allows the neurons (nerve cells) in the brain to compensate for injury and disease and to adjust their activities in response to new situations or to changes in their environment.”
    
There is an important second paragraph to the definition as well: “Brain reorganization takes place by mechanisms such as "axonal sprouting" in which undamaged axons grow new nerve endings to reconnect neurons whose links were injured or severed. Undamaged axons can also sprout nerve endings and connect with other undamaged nerve cells, forming new neural pathways to accomplish a needed function.”
    
At the web site MemoryZine, the first paragraph of the essay, “Introduction to Neuroplasticity,” the administrator of the web site explains neuroplasticity in somewhat more detail: “The human brain is incredibly adaptive. Our mental capacity is astonishingly large, and our ability to process widely varied information and complex new experiences with relative ease can often be surprising. The brain’s ability to act and react in ever-changing ways is known, in the scientific community, as ‘neuroplasticity.’ This special characteristic allows the brain’s estimated 100 billion nerve cells, also called neurons (aka “gray matter”), to constantly lay down new pathways for neural communication and to rearrange existing ones throughout life, thereby aiding the processes of learning, memory, and adaptation through experience. Without the ability to make such functional changes, our brains would not be able to memorize a new fact or master a new skill, form a new memory or adjust to a new environment; we, as individuals, would not be able to recover from brain injuries or overcome cognitive disabilities. Because of the brain’s neuroplasticity, old dogs, so to speak, regularly learn new tricks of every conceivable kind.”
    
In the same essay just quoted, the administrator answers the question about how neuroplasticity works: “Neuroplasticity can work in two directions; it is responsible for deleting old connections as frequently as it enables the creation of new ones. Through this process, called “synaptic pruning,” connections that are inefficient or infrequently used are allowed to fade away, while neurons that are highly routed with information will be preserved, strengthened, made even more synaptically dense. Closely tied in with the pruning process, then, is our ability to learn and to remember. While each neuron acts independently, learning new skills may require large collections of neurons to be active simultaneously to process neural information; the more neurons activated, the better we learn.”
    
One of the most important questions regarding neuroplasticity is whether or not it lasts.  This same essay answers that question as well: “Groundbreaking new research suggests that, beyond modifying pathways and forming new ones between existing neurons, the human brain is even able to generate entirely new brain cells. While this neural regeneration was long believed to be impossible after age three or four, research now shows that new neurons can develop late into the life span, even into the golden years of age 70 and beyond. Thus, the old adage ‘use it or lose it’ is brought soundly home. If one’s brain is constantly challenged by and engaged with a variety of stimulations and new experiences, while also exposed regularly to that which it already knows, it is better able to retain its adaptive flexibility, regenerative capacity, and remarkable efficiency throughout life.”
    
If you read the above excerpts closely, you can easily see why neroplasticity is so important.  All of those advocates out there (including me!) who have suggested exercises and activities to keep the brain active and engaged are right on target.  It doesn’t matter what the activity is, the brain thrives and grows on new learning, and among all the things you can do, new learning occupies the top — first and foremost — position.  What else?  Engage in enrichment (self-imposed or by outside sources like teachers, lecturers, community organizers, etc.), seek variety, challenge, and decision-making opportunities.  Multi-task, plan, and problem-solve.  Do memory-enhancement and manual-dexterity exercises.  Maintain contacts with family members, friends, and others, because a social network contributes significantly.  And, don’t forget the physical exercise.  Physical exercise — an active life — contributes just as much to the brain (maybe even more!) as it does to the body.  
    
I know that you’ve heard it all before; however, there is a better context now (neuroplasticity) that should renew the spirit, regenerate the willpower, and reinvigorate the body.  And, in all of this renewal, regeneration, and reinvigoration, you will automatically be renovating, redeveloping, and rebuilding something even more important than your spirit, willpower, or body, you will be revitalizing your brain.  Now, that’s a powerful incentive!
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A powerful Google document, an article by Dominick M. Maino, O.D., M.Ed., titled, “Neuroplasticity: Teaching an Old Brain New Tricks,” discusses the advantages of neuroplasticity. The brief review/summary of the paper reads: “This paper provides an overview of neuroplasticity and demonstrates how optometrists can take advantage of this innate ability in adult patients.”

At the trademarked web site BrainsOnPurpose, there is a brief essay, “Neuroscience and conflict resolution,” by Stephanie West Allen, JD, in collaboration with Jeffrey M. Schwartz, MD.  The subtitle of the essay is: “‘There's a great future in [neuroplasticity]. Think about it. Will you think about it?’” (July 8, 2007).  The authors write: “As these brain remodels take place, we have two choices. We can let them happen with our ‘self reduced to its bare minimum.’ Or we can awaken ‘our faculties,’ direct the changes, and turn neuroplasticity into self-directed neuroplasticity (a phrase coined by Jeff). When our brains are engaging in neuroplasticity without our knowledge, direction, or awareness, our brains are changing accidentally. When we are employing self-directed neuroplasticity, we are changing our brains on purpose.”  A great, brief, essay.
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Copyright February, 2011, by And Then Some Publishing L.L.C.