Neuroplasticity

Hello listeners, and welcome back to the Science of Self, where you change your life from the inside out. Today is Thursday, the 7th of December, 2023. Today's episode is about neuroplasticity, the ability of your brain to change and adapt throughout your life. This topic comes from the book Super Brain by Peter Hollins. Of course, it's available on Amazon and Audible, and you can learn more about the author Peter Hollins at his website bit.ly.com. So buckle up and get ready for a journey into the depths of your own mind. Let's explore the amazing power of neuroplasticity.

And unlock the secrets to changing your life from the inside out. Our brain is complex (remember, it has about as many neurons as stars in half a galaxy), and we are only beginning to understand how it operates. Most of our knowledge was developed in the 20th and 21st centuries, and most of that came from the past few decades, so still much a work in progress. And still, there is a lot we now know and understand. We know that our brains work through complex networks and connections, and that all the information inside our heads is organized through association. One of the most amazing discoveries we have made about the brain is understanding its neuroplasticity. For a long time, it was believed that the brain was shaped in a particular way and developed only until adolescence.

It was also believed that we had a few neurons and, throughout our adult lives, could only use neurons and neuronal connections already formed. Thankfully, this was proven wrong (Kwik, 2020, Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life). Our brains continue to produce new neurons throughout life through a process known as neurogenesis, making new connections, and getting rid of old connections that are no longer useful. It’s true that kids have the most plastic brains out there, but adults do not lose this characteristic. Our brains develop throughout our lives. They are blessed with neuroplasticity: the ability to be shaped and molded by our behaviors, environment, and habits. This is a different model of the brain – rather than seeing it as a fixed organ that does just one predetermined job; it is instead an organ that is in dynamic relationship with the environment, and can grow, respond, adapt and change depending on the environmental demands.

Neuroplasticity means that whatever we do can change how our brains operate and more than that, how they are wired throughout our lives. It means we can use our brains to work on our brains; we can tweak our environment to adjust our brains – by using our brains! This means that even if we faced adverse factors such as poverty throughout our childhood, which impacted our brain, it could be rewired by a different set of circumstances and different choices. Eleanor Maguire did the classic study you will always see mentioned when talking about neuroplasticity. She focused on cab drivers who had to prepare to earn their licenses by memorizing specific parts of the city with thousands of streets, corners, attractions, and turns. It takes around four years to complete the practice, and only about 50% pass the licensing test. Maguire expected those who did, that lucky half, might have had a bigger hippocampus - the brain's structure tied to memory (Maguire et al., 2000, Navigation-related structural change in the hippocampi of taxi drivers).

What Maguire found instead is that the cab drivers, because of their experience and study, as well as their years driving around London, enhanced their hippocampus. This structure became bigger and more full of connections because of the work the drivers had done to memorize routes and streets (Maguire et al., 2000, Navigation-related structural change in the hippocampi of taxi drivers). A study focusing on a boy who lost nearly one-third of his brain due to an unavoidable surgery discovered that after this procedure, the boy retained his previous abilities and even improved on some measures of IQ (Liu et al., 2013, Successful Reorganization of Category-Selective Visual Cortex following Occipito-temporal Lobectomy in Childhood). Even though this does not happen in every similar case, other areas of his brain took on the functions of those that got removed. His brain was adaptable enough to deal with something as serious as losing big chunks of the visual processing centers. Neuroplasticity can help people recover from serious injuries to the brain, but it can also modify how we live our daily lives. Neuroplasticity is associated with physical changes in the brain, like those that happened with the cab drivers who made their hippocampi bigger.

It also involves changes in neuronal networks, for example, through the connections the cells make with each other, the generation of new neurons, and neurobiochemical changes, for example, the release of more or less dopamine and serotonin (Fuchs & Flugge, 2014, Adult Neuroplasticity: More Than 40 Years of Research). All this constantly changes throughout our lives. In a disorder like depression, there is a dysfunctional release of serotonin. There is a low level of the chemical, which leads to a low mood and problems with appetite and sleep. A certain relationship is set up with the brain and the environment – the brain takes shape to function in a way characteristic of depression. However, medication can increase serotonin levels and change the brain from within, while therapy and lifestyle changes work on the surrounding environment to change the brain from the outside (Cowen & Browning, 2015, What has serotonin to do with depression?). This means that our choices every day shape our brain to be and function differently.

Something as simple as learning a new bit of information can mean a new connection between two neurons not connected before while repeating that bit of information means making that connection sturdier. Our brain can amaze things thanks to neuroplasticity. Your abilities and skills are not set in stone, nor is your neurobiology. Understanding the brain So, your brain is amazing and capable of achieving plenty of fascinating tasks. After seeing them once, people can memorize hundreds of numbers without being blessed with a prodigious memory. We can learn any skill if we decide to do it. Our limits are often self-imposed and not objective.

At the same time, there are better and more effective ways to learn and boost our brains. What holds us back is our belief that we can’t do something and a lack of knowledge that makes us pick ineffective strategies. We need to consider how our brain works. For example, if we learn a new language by memorizing separate words, we might learn a few phrases, but we will not master this new skill. Trying to memorize a language by remembering separate words means we do not understand how our brains work and how language settles into our neural networks. Each cognitive process we have, such as learning, memory, habit formation, emotional regulation, and self-control, among many others, are tied to how our brain functions. Once we understand this, we can choose better strategies to change any habit and any aspect of our life causing us trouble.

While there are objective limits, they are often very different and much less severe than we might imagine. Here is a question. If you had to prepare for a test next week, evaluating your understanding of a text, which strategy would you choose? Many people would repeatedly reread the text, underlining the most important parts and points. But these strategies have been proven ineffective! We know that our brain doesn’t respond well to them (Biwer et al., 2020, Fostering Effective Learning Strategies in Higher Education – A Mixed-Methods Study). Understanding how our brains work can help us choose efficient strategies, get better results that are more lasting and less difficult to achieve because we use means that align with our neural wiring.

We can reach great results thanks to consistent work to strengthen neuronal networks. We now know that strengthening one connection can weaken others – a perfect explanation for why we need new habits to replace older ones (Jenks et al., 2021 Heterosynaptic Plasticity and the Experience-Dependent Refinement of Developing Neuronal Circuits). We can change our brains and change our lives. We just need to know how. What can affect our neuroplasticity? In these sections, we will do a deep and practical dive into how you can better understand your brain and use specific, focused techniques to improve different aspects of your life and use the flaws in your brain’s processing to make your day-to-day easier and more satisfying. Fortunately, the brain is neuroplastic – but it is not endlessly so, and we need to know the rules for how it organizes itself to take advantage of its adaptability.

Before getting to specific techniques, we will talk a little about the general ways to keep our brains happy and healthy and ready to enhance their neuroplastic capacity, because it’s not always the same. Some things and factors can reduce our brain’s capacity to adapt. Let’s start with a few general things all brain owners need to remember to have them prepared to adapt and shift. •Physical activity Physical activity can lead to greater neuroplasticity. Exercise not only counteracts cognitive decline but can also encourage our brains to start producing new neurons and improve our ability to make and change connections. Daily physical activities, like chores or walking, and focused exercise are linked to benefits for cerebrovascular health and a higher ability to learn and memorize (Mandolesi et al., 2017, Environmental Factors Promoting Neural Plasticity: Insights from Animal and Human Studies). •Sleep Getting enough sleep is an essential condition for neuroplasticity.

It promotes repair, memory consolidation, and restorative processes across all animal life. Chronic sleep deprivation disrupts neuroplasticity because it can also negatively affect learning and memory. Recent research suggests that we need uninterrupted sleep to effectively make lasting neural connections because memories get consolidated in stages. Breaking up our sleep time or not getting to REM or deep sleep means that some forms of memories and connections are never made fully or never consolidated. Besides this, sleep can restore plasticity for the next day (Mandolesi et al., 2017, Environmental Factors Promoting Neural Plasticity: Insights from Animal and Human Studies). •Diet and nutrition Our brain consumes over 20% of the energy we derive from nutrients. Nutrients are needed for neuroplasticity, and eating patterns help or hinder changes in brain structure.

We can say, for instance, that too much sugar in the absence of healthy fats, can make learning and memory much less effective, and specific substances in foods make our brains more malleable and help create stronger connections. The first ingredient is polyphenol, found in fruit, vegetables, tea, juices, plants, and some herbs. They can reduce the effects of cognitive decline and stress while improving synaptic plasticity. Polyphenols can be found in curcumin and omega-3 fatty acids that appear to be essential for good plasticity (Murphy, Dias, & Thuret, 2014, Effects of diet on brain plasticity in animal and human studies: mind the gap). Evidence shows that eating curcumin and drinking teas, especially green tea, black tea, and oolong tea, helps neuroplasticity. Other types of food associated with improvements in cognitive functioning are grapes, wine, and peanuts, thanks to their content of resveratrol. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in oily fish like salmon and anchovies, also are linked to improved plasticity (Wang, Li, Xu, Song, Tao, & Bai Y, 2012 Green tea epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) promotes neural progenitor cell proliferation and sonic hedgehog pathway activation during adult hippocampal neurogenesis; Conklin, et al., 2007 Long-chain omega-3 fatty acid intake is associated positively with corticolimbic gray matter volume in healthy adults; Cox, Pipingas, Scholey, 2015, Investigation of the effects of solid lipid curcumin on cognition and mood in a healthy older population).

So, the foods and supplements that can help your brain become even more malleable include: •Curcumin •Green tea •Black tea •Oolong tea •Grapes •Wine •Grape juice •Fatty fishes, like salmon, herring, anchovies, etc. •Omega-3 supplements •Peanuts Adding more foods that promote neuroplasticity to your diet can help make changes more successful and lasting. Give your brain the food it craves and feed it like a champion. •Consistency Traumatic events can leave a lasting impact on the brain, even if they only happen once. However, to change our neural connections, we need to be consistent and build on them every day or almost every day. Making habits is not just a behavioral change: it leads to long-lasting changes in the dorsolateral striatum or DLS, and this is a separate part of the brain from the one that regulates goal-driven behavior. When habits become automatic, they save a lot of energy, and our brain turns to them first, so healthier habits allow us to rewire specific structures to change our automatic patterns of responses and behaviors (Malvaez, 2020, Neural substrates of habit).

Consistency allows us to engage the dorsolateral striatum rather than other parts of our brain. One important suggestion here is to put things into practice every day, even if it is just for a few minutes. If you must skip, try to skip a single time and not twice in a row, as that can disrupt your habits and cost you a significant chunk of your progress. A good example of the importance of persistence is the situation of stroke survivors, many of whom recover brain functioning. One of the key elements for recovering and developing neuroplasticity is for people to repeat the same tasks repeatedly (Hatem, Saussez, Della Faille, Prist, Zhang, Dispa, & Bleyenheuft, 2016, Rehabilitation of Motor Function after Stroke: A Multiple Systematic Review Focused on Techniques to Stimulate Upper Extremity Recovery). Reluctance and resistance Not everything about the brain is positive. Sometimes, its functioning is associated with issues, particularly as the brain tends to have processing errors.

We will discuss them more in-depth in the following chapters, but it’s important to note that even though our brains are made for malleability, they tend to resist change. Established patterns tend to win due to the effects of the dorsolateral striatum that can override our desire to reach specific goals (Malvaez, 2020, Neural substrates of habit). It’s not a sign that something is going wrong, and we should expect lapses, especially when tired and stressed. Remember that your brain likes saving energy and is conservative in this sense, preferring established behavior patterns until they change enough to become the new routine. Stress Chronic and intense stress can negatively impact our neuroplasticity, rewiring our brain to be more vulnerable to new stressors. It can contribute to depression and anxiety by changing the functioning of our neural networks (Singh & Karkare, 2017, Stress, Depression and Neuroplasticity). It’s important to reduce stress to focus the effects of our neuroplasticity on positive aspects and make changes for the better.

Continued stress can make parts of our neurons atrophy: they start growing slowly and are less able to make successful connections, which leads to a worse memory and learning ability. Fewer neurons are produced, and synapses get disrupted (Singh & Karkare, 2017, Stress, Depression and Neuroplasticity). Stress is a factor that can negatively impact our neuroplasticity. Our brain is a wonderful structure, and we are only getting to know how it operates. We have different empirically proven strategies that can help us modify our neural networks to achieve our desired results. But, our brain is not perfect. It often does things we wish it wouldn’t do and is prone to errors in very particular patterns.

It has real limitations. By acknowledging this, we can reach better results. The next chapter will consider patterns of functioning that the brain shows and how this can be applied to specific techniques for achieving beneficial goals. What’s the point? Cool, so we know now a little more about our brains. But what’s the point of that? First, this section helps us lay the groundwork for the techniques we will be discussing later on.

It introduced the most important concepts and the basic principles under which the brain works. We will clarify how each technique connects to your brain’s functioning in these sections, but the goal is also to understand why each technique works and evaluate its effects on the brain. Knowing this can help these strategies feel more grounded. The second goal of this brief introduction is to provide more information about how your brain operates. We all have brains, but we often remain woefully misinformed about how they function. This can empower us to make better choices when we can consider our control center with its limitations and preferences. We don’t get to change everything about our brain and must take it into account.

The third reason is to help you reconsider some of your limiting beliefs. We often feel we have reached our limits or that some skills are beyond us. We might believe that it is too late to do new things or acquire new habits. But once you consider the neuroscience behind it all, it becomes evident that you can. Our brains, by their design, can inspire things and hold within them a huge potential. So, let’s look at the more practical side of things. Now that we know the basic elements of how our brain operates, let’s examine evidence-based techniques based on neuroscience for better results in learning, changing your habits, reaching your full potential, and more.

Takeaways •Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change and adapt to reflect demands from the environment. This means that neural connections can be “rewired,” and the brain can evolve, adapt, and change, not just in childhood but throughout life. •Many things affect neuroplasticity, such as stress, physical activity, sleep, illness, diet and other lifestyle factors. If we understand how to work with our brain’s innate capacity to change itself, we can use specially designed techniques to maximize on our potential. Remember, if you are enjoying this episode, please leave a review and subscribe to the show. For more science-backed insights into self-improvement, and don't forget to check out Peter Hollins' website, Bidley slash Peter Hollins, for more resources on optimizing your mind and your life. Until next time, stay curious and keep exploring the science of self.