breaking the mold

Posted on November 7th, 2008 at 8:43 am by admin

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Neuroplasticity is one of those words to have in your lexicon when you need to impress.

It means the brain is play-dough. We can mold it and reshape it.

Don’t believe me? Over the past 20 years, research has debunked a lot of the myths about the rigid brain.

Remember when you learned back in college that the number of brain cells you had by a certain age was fixed? That you never grew more brain cells?

Wrong.

You have brain stem cells in waiting all the time. The trick is to activate them and make them repair damaged nerve cells.

Remember when you learned that each part of your brain is specialized and controls one part of your body?

Wrong.

Brain parts can learn new functions with enough motivation and training. Sure, there are a few key parts of the brain that aren’t interchangeable. Damage to these parts is permanent. But anything else is trainable.

Did you learn — as I did — that “genetic” differences such as ADHD, Asperger’s, etc. can’t be fixed?

Wrong.

With specialized training, these brains can be taught to work around whatever problems they have. Lazy parts can be taught to do their job, overworking parts can be taught to chill out, and connections can be made where none existed before.

Of course, the earlier this is done, the better. But even adults can reshape their brains.

Reshaping can mean changes in the size or shape of the brain, not just the connections.