The Importance Of Brain Plasticity

The brain and how it changes is often referred to as brain plasticity. The brain obviously isn't made out of plastic, but the idea that it can change throughout one's life makes it “plastic”. Meaning, just like actual plastic, the brain can be changed and molded. There are generally three ways the brain changes. First, the brain is able to organize itself when it is growing, for example, when a baby is born the brain assembles itself. Second, the brain undergoes neuroplasticity when is suffers a brain injury and it is able to accommodate for loss of brain function. Lastly, the brain is plastic throughout adulthood whenever something new is being learned or memorized.

The two types of brain plasticity are functional and structural. Functional

Through practice, having new experiences and even environmental stimulation, we can change the brain’s physical structure. For example, if you are learning a new skill, like learning how to shoot a basketball, visual changes in the brain can be seen in brain scans. Connections in our brains can get stronger or can be lost depending on our experiences and what skills we practice. Neurons that are used often develop strong connections, while neurons that are never or hardly used can eventually die off. Knowing that our brains are capable of learning new things and that our brains are not fixed at birth has challenged the idea that you can’t teach an old dog new

Electrical and chemical. As a child, more and more neurons are formed, and they are create links to one another, or synapses. So as kids grow older, the neurons branch out to make new connections. If neurons don’t form connections with each other and with other structures in the brain, they eventually die off. We are fortunate that we have many more neurons at birth than we need, so it is natural that some of the neurons die off. There is no way to replace neurons once they die off, but the neurons we do have can continue to grow our whole lives. Meaning that they can form new branches and connections with other neurons through new experiences. Although as people age, the connection between neurons weaken, by learning new things, new connections between neurons form and the synapse can change. So, as we practice a new skill, we actually stimulate a pattern of electrical signals through our neurons. In order to learn a new skill, it takes doing it over and over again so that the same nerve impulses create the correct and desired result. That is why it is important to not only have hours and hours of practice to perfect a skill, but practicing it correctly will also impact your success with the skill. If we practice something incorrectly a whole bunch of times, we will only increase our chances of doing it wrong. Although it may seems easier to learn how to do something