Thanks To Neural Plasticity, We Never Stop Learning

Neural plasticity is greatest during childhood, as the brain is more flexible during this stage of life and constantly receives new stimuli. In this phase a lot of new neurons are ‘born’ that accelerate the learning capacity and development of the child. Childhood is therefore a sensitive period for development, especially the first five years of life.

But just because the brain is more plastic and flexible during this phase doesn’t mean that neural plasticity ever disappears completely, so it doesn’t matter whether you’re five or fifty, you can still learn new skills or create new synaptic connections. Even during old age, the brain has the ability to learn.

Neural plasticity and the reorganization of the brain

The brain is able to adapt to the environment and to undergo changes in its own structure to meet the demands of the environment. Evidence of this adaptability can be clearly seen in people who have become blind or deaf. The brain adapts in such a way that the brain areas responsible for the other senses develop more, the brain functions are also reorganized.

Spanish scientist Pascual-Leone demonstrated this ability through an experiment in which he blindfolded a group of healthy people for five days. During this time, these people learned to read Braille and did sound recognition exercises (auditory discrimination). Using an MRI scan, it was observed that the visual cortex was activated by sound and touch, meaning their brains were adapting.

This experiment was conducted on adults, which means that, contrary to popular belief a few years ago, the brain continues to change throughout life, and this reorganization has a lot to do with environmental demands and available resources. to meet these requirements.

Life-long learning

We all know that children have a great ability to learn, and that they pick up new things more easily than adults, such as learning to play an instrument, learning a new language, or memorizing a text. The rapid increase in new neurons is astonishing, but as we age, this capacity declines.

However, evidence of neurogenesis (the growth of new nerve cells) has also been found in adults. So the old notion that we are born with a certain number of neurons, and that we can only lose them during life, is wrong. Yes, neural plasticity declines as we age, but the brain remains fairly malleable.

The rapid increase in new neurons was a great discovery. There are two brain regions where this phenomenon was observed: the subventricular region and the hippocampus, the latter being closely related to memory. Neurogenesis in the hippocampus can be stimulated when we learn new things.

What happens in the brain when we learn?

Neural plasticity is the mechanism that makes learning possible. However, our ability to learn is determined individually by our genes and our upbringing. For example, a person’s IQ will be largely determined by their genes, but intellectual effort can also affect brain plasticity and a person’s ability to learn.

Even if learning is in your genes, this ability will never manifest if you don’t know how to develop it. If you don’t use your ability to learn, not only will you not develop it, but you will lose the ability to develop it. In other words, you would not only not increase this ability, but you would also make sure that this ability is less great in the future.

Cognitive stimulation is critical to preparing the brain to adapt to the demands of the environment. Neural plasticity is a determining factor when it comes to coping with brain injury. It is believed that people who have developed plasticity through learning are better able to overcome brain injury and compensate for the loss of function.

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