What Exactly Is Involved In Neuroplasticity?
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change and adapt in response to new experiences. This means that the brain is constantly rewiring itself in response to the things we do, think, and feel.
There are a number of factors that contribute to neuroplasticity, including:
Genetics: Our genes play a role in how plastic our brains are. Some people are simply born with more plastic brains than others.
Age: Neuroplasticity declines as we age. This is one of the reasons why it’s so important to stimulate your brain throughout your lifetime.
Use it or lose it: The more you use your brain, the more plastic it will be. This is why learning new things and doing mental puzzles is so important for maintaining a healthy brain.
There are a number of different ways to improve neuroplasticity, including:
Exercise: Exercise has been shown to increase neuroplasticity in both animals and humans. One theory is that this is because exercise increases blood flow to the brain, which delivers more oxygen and nutrients.
Diet: Eating a healthy diet full of vegetables, fruits, and Omega-3 fatty acids has also been linked to increased neuroplasticity.
Stimulation: Challenging your brain with new experiences helps it to grow and become more plastic. This could include anything from learning a new language to taking up a new hobby.
What Exactly Is Involved In Neuroplasticity?
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change and adapt in response to new experiences. This means that the brain is constantly rewiring itself in response to the things we do, think, and feel. These changes can be structural as well as functional. So far researchers have mostly studied structural changes because they are easier to measure than functional ones. The most famous example of functional neuroplasticity is London taxi drivers. A study showed that their hippocampus (the part of the brain responsible for spatial navigation) grows larger the longer they are on the job . . . London taxi drivers basically have GPS hardwired into their brains!
Some other examples of neuroplasticity include:
-After learning something new, the part of the brain responsible for that skill shows increased activity.
-If you lose a sense (like sight or hearing), other parts of the brain step in to fill the void.
-You can increase your intelligence by working on memory and problem-solving skills.