Neuroplasticity: You Can Teach An 'Old' Brain New Skill

A few decades ago, it was believed that the brain’s structure and functions were entirely dependent on genetics, age, and early childhood experiences.

- K.K. Bajaj

Psychologists thought genes provided the blueprint for our mental capacity and that favorable childhood experiences supported optimal growth, while unfavorable ones hindered it. It was widely accepted that the brain reached its maximum growth in youth and then declined with age, injury, or illness. However, the discovery of neuroplasticity has transformed contemporary science and psychology’s understanding of the human brain.

What recent research has shown is that under the right circumstances, the power of brain plasticity can help adults’ minds grow. This science is called Neuroplasticity.

What Is Neuroplasticity?

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change and adapt as a result of experience. It is also known as brain plasticity, However, when people say that the brain possesses plasticity, they are not suggesting that the brain is similar to plastic.

Plasticity refers to the brain’s malleability, which is defined as being easily influenced, trained, or controlled. Neuro refers to neurons, the nerve cells that are the building blocks of the brain and nervous system. Thus, neuroplasticity is when nerve cells change or adjust.

Although certain brain machinery tends to decline with age, there are steps people can take to tap into plasticity and reinvigorate that machinery. These circumstances include focused attention, determination, hard work and maintaining overall brain health.

Types of Neuroplasticity

The human brain contains approximately 100 billion neurons. Early researchers believed that neurogenesis, or the creation of new neurons, stopped shortly after birth. Today, we know that the brain can reorganize pathways, create new connections, and even generate new neurons through neuroplasticity.

There are two main types of neuroplasticity: