Monday, November 14, 2011

Brain Plasticity And Learning


The manner in which a child learns and retains new information is involved in brain plasticity. It is the way in which the brain can change its physical structure in response to information it experiences. It can also help someone to regain certain functions which were lost due to injury and disease. Let’s explore both of these aspects further.

A child is born with billions of brain cells, many of which are interconnected through neural networks. As the child becomes exposed to certain stimuli, the effects of brain plasticity cause physical changes in the brain such that new neural pathways may be formed. If enough are made it can help to solidify the recall of this new information.

This is a primary mechanism in which children can learn. If a child accidentally touches a hot surface, new neural networks will form. This will help to alert the child not to touch that surface again or he/she could get burned.

This is especially true for stimuli which is repeated or intensified. It can cause multiple neural networks to form which further solidifies memory and the information learned. This is why repetition can be vital in the learning process.

As people age, their neural networks can break down. Over time this can impact the ability of a person to recall certain information. However the nature of brain plasticity can help to reverse this. It is important to challenge the brain to reform certain neural networks and counteract the breakdown which may occur over time. It is therefore not necessarily true that mental function deterioration cannot be addressed and treated as we age.

The nature of brain plasticity can also be a very important way for patients to recover certain brain functions which may have otherwise been lost due to disease or injury. For example techniques have been developed and applied to patients who have suffered injury to certain areas of their brain. There were able to gain function which was otherwise lost by retraining different undamaged areas of the brain to take over these functions.

But the very nature of brain plasticity allows children to maximize their learning activities. And it is an important way to reverse the impact of aging on mental faculties. If proper techniques are applied, impressive results can be expected.

However it is used, brain plasticity is an important way to maximize the function of our brains and improve the quality of our lives.

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