What Is The Neuroplasticity?
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. This flexibility allows the brain to adapt to different conditions and respond to new information.
The term “neuroplasticity” was first coined in the 1960s by Canadian neuroscientist Wilder Penfield. He used it to describe the brain’s ability to change and adapt after injury.
Despite what was once believed, the adult brain is not fixed and unchanging. Neuroplasticity allows the brain to reorganize itself in response to experience. This means that if you learn something new, your brain will physically change as a result.
One of the most well-known examples of neuroplasticity is London taxi drivers. A 2004 study found that taxi drivers who had been on the job for more than two years had enlarged brains compared to those who had just started driving. The enlarged area was in the hippocampus, a region of the brain responsible for navigation. This suggests that the London taxi drivers’ brains had physically changed in response to their experience of driving around the city.
Neuroplasticity occurs at all levels of the nervous system, from individual neurons to large-scale networks. It can be found in both the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The CNS includes the brain and spinal cord, while the PNS consists of all the other nerves in the body.
changes in response to experience can occur quickly, such as when you learn a new skill, or they can happen gradually, as your brain adapts to a new environment.