Neural Plasticity

  We live in a world where we have the ability to experience feelings, sight, sounds and taste. Through these senses we increase the development of our brain.  Our brain continuously adapts to the world around us, from the people that surround us, the experiences we face, the food we eat, and even the air we breathe. The ability of the brain to reorganize in response to its environment is called Neural Plasticity. This ability is not hard to notice, meaning everyday we can see the brain working as we learn a new skill, recall an recent event, and recover from a loss and or injury.  Depending on the individual, Neural Plasticity occurs throughout development, it varies from birth through childhood and maturity. Through research it is said that neural plasticity is supported by the formation and elimination of synapses. A synapse is a small gap through which information flows from one neuron to another cell. The elimination of neurons occurs when the brain reorganizes neural connections and selective neurons which are not activity-dependant are eliminated.

Upon studying the brain of a newborn baby, scientists discovered features of early postnatal brain development the speed synapses are formed. At the age of 2 the brain of a child contains 100 trillion synapses- twice as many as in the adult brain. Early postnatal plasticity comes from studies of the primary visual cortex, whose development is shaped by visual experience during the first few months of life. The visual cortex is a region of the cerebrum that is responsible for processing visual information gathered by the eye. The early weeks and months of a baby’s life are crucial for establishing neural circuits within the visual system; other cortical functions such as touch, hearing, emotion, and memory also undergo critical periods of development. Touch is not only comforting to an infant but is vital to the formation of “touch circuits” within the developing brain. The sense of touch depends on proper wiring between touch receptors in the skin and neurons in the sensory cortex.

Learning and Memory are two of the most fundamental processes that govern our lives. Learning is the ability to acquire new knowledge through instruction or experience.   Memory is the process by which knowledge is retained over time.   Both are closely linked examples of neural plasticity. Songbirds learn to sing by imitation similar to the way humans learn language. Functional brain imaging studies of string instrument players have shown the cortical representation of the fingers of their left hands increases in proportion to the length of time they practice as children (5 to 20 years).  The same theory applies to people blind from birth; they become functionally linked to touch stimulation of the fingers associated with Braille reading. Although scientists do not entirely understand the mechanisms for learning and memory but believe that the answers lie at the synapse that plays an important role in learning and memory.

Neural Plasticity also forms the ability to recover from brain damage caused by injury or disease. When any sort of damage is caused to the brain, the brain has many ways in replacing and or fixing itself. One of the ways the brain can compensate for a lost cause would be rerouting circuits to different regions of the brain. Another way that we can do to help repair the brain is by therapy. In some cases stroke patients who have lost the ability to speak or use a hand have been shown to regain some or most of their lost function within weeks and months. Unfortunately attempts made by the brain to compensate for the damage are not always successful or even sufficient to promote recovery of lost functions. 

Nature as well as nurture influences the brain in important ways. Neural plasticity is the ability of the brain to reorganize its neural circuits in response to experience. Every day after birth to maturity we learn a new skill, memorize an experience, and adapt to a loss and injury.

For further reading refer to: Brain Development, Lakshmi Bangalore or visit

http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Development-Matter-Lakshmi-Bangalore/dp/0791089541/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248982619&sr=8-22