Neuroplasticity: the extraordinary ability of our brain to transform and regenerate

You may have never heard of neuroplasticity and it may seem like a somewhat complicated concept at first glance, but keep reading: it is the key to our development and the changes we experience from birth.

We call neuroplasticity the extraordinary ability of our thinking organ to transform and functionally and physically rearrange its structure in response to environmental stimuli, behavioral experiences, or cognitive demands. In short, to the situations in which we live.

This is possible mainly due to the creation and control of the number of neurons, the migration of these nerve cells and the formation of new connections.

After a devastating cardiovascular accident

To understand this better, let’s think about a person who has suffered a traumatic brain injury. This can be the result of a tumor, a head injury, or, most commonly, a cerebrovascular accident (ictus). The latter occurs when an artery supplying our brain ruptures and blood fills a space that does not belong to it (hemorrhagic stroke). Or when an artery becomes blocked and blood flow cannot reach the areas of the brain for which it is intended.

Strokes cause serious consequences in the brain and in the lives of those who suffer them. This may include activities such as walking, moving one’s hand, talking, remembering what we did yesterday, or trying to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. In a word, to everything that we do every day thanks to the proper functioning of this exciting organ.

During this time, the brain undergoes sudden changes and the affected areas stop working as they used to. How can we try to get the patient back to walking, talking, or managing their mood? Due to the fact that the brain, just as it undergoes drastic changes and changes, is also capable of rewiring and changing in a directed and effortful way.

In search of a lost language

Recent studies have shown the effect of neuroplasticity in patients who develop communication problems (aphasia) after a brain injury. For the vast majority of people, language is located in the left hemisphere: important areas of this half of the brain must function properly in order for us to understand and pronounce words.

When this transmission is interrupted by a stroke, we must turn to neuroplasticity if we are to restore what has been lost. Thus, it was found that intensive speech therapy is able to restore the work of damaged areas of the left hemisphere and their connections. It may even cause changes in the structures of the right hemisphere, further aiding recovery.

The power of music

If the above is already interesting, another recent study was able to observe the changes induced by music therapy in patients who had suffered a head injury. In his case, the injury resulted in impaired executive functions. These higher cognitive abilities allow us to achieve goals, adapt to new situations, or manage social interactions, among other daily tasks. They include processes such as inhibition, cognitive flexibility, planning, reasoning, or decision making.

The researchers confirmed that music therapy improved the executive functions of affected patients after three months and that these changes were maintained over time. They also saw the presence of a brain substrate: the patients had significant changes in important areas of the frontal lobe. In particular, in the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for the correct execution of these skills.

Key learning process

But does neuroplasticity interfere with a healthy brain? Could this be the key to learning how to play an instrument since we were nurtured by music? Yes, in fact it would be more correct to say that the acquisition of any new skill requires changes in our brain.

Music education is considered an interesting framework for the study of induced neuroplasticity in the healthy brain. While certain differences in the brain make it easier for some people to learn to play an instrument, longitudinal studies show that listening to and playing music induces functional changes in the brain’s motor network and its connections to the auditory system.

Important transformations also occur when we learn a new language. It occurs in young people as well as adults and older people, and it happens in the short term. Therefore, when we begin to become familiar with a language, with its vocabulary and grammatical structures, our brain undergoes changes that make this possible.

Taxi drivers with specialized brains

Experience is the cause of these changes. A classic study found that London taxi drivers, masters at memorizing city routes and driving nimbly through its streets, were louder than normal in certain areas of the hippocampus. This area of ​​the brain, related to the limbic system and located in the temporal lobe, is closely related to our memory; especially to our spatial memory and our ability to navigate.

More interestingly, the study compared taxi drivers with bus drivers (who tend to repeat the same route), and only the former had such differences in the hippocampus. This rules out that it could be due to other variables such as different driving skills or the stress this job entails.

The brain is the organ in our body that makes everything we do possible. Fortunately, thanks to neuroplasticity, we can change, evolve, and progress. We shouldn’t wait for things to happen without time and effort, but it’s clear that our brains will be in charge of helping us achieve many of the things we set out to do.

Loles Villalobos Tornero, Department of Psychology. Department of Experimental Psychology of Cognitive Processes and Speech Therapy, Complutense University of Madrid

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.