Do-Re-Mi (Brain Plasticity)
“Let’s start at the very beginning
A very good place to start”
If there was one thing – and one thing alone that people needed to know about their brains – what would that be?
There is so much information (and misinformation) about the human mind and how it works, washing around in books and on the internet. Everyone has a pitch—just pay $99 and you too can have the secret to […insert here the hot topic of the day…] Bookstores are full of books on Positive thinking, affirmations, goal setting, the non-concious mind.
The trouble is though – most of the information is either just plain wrong, or based on poor or out-of-date research. (My favourite bug-bear? That women can’t read maps. Yes, it is true that there are people who do have trouble with this task. The misinformation is that because you are female you will be one of them)
The field of neuroscience and brain-based research is developing so rapidly. How does a person who wants to improve their understanding of how the brain works and then apply this to consciously improving their brain and the quality of their life and learning, get started?
Do-re-mi. Lets start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.
Brain plasticity. What is it and why is it so important?
For most of the 20th century, the view of the brain was that it was “hard-wired” and unchanging, except for a very short period in childhood. Damage it and it could not be repaired. Not happy with your measured IQ? Too bad.
We now know that this view of the brain as a fixed hard-wired entity isnot correct. We know instead the brain has enormous capacity to grow new cells and rewire itself in reponse to stimulus. This can be used in positive ways eg to improve measured IQ, or to allow people recover from traumatic brain injuries. We know also that plasticity can also result in negative effects – for example the effect of violent TV on all minds – not just young children.