Seniors-You Can Mold & Optimize Your Brain at Any Age - Contributed by Dr Sandeep Vaishnavi* MD, Phd & Dr Vani Rao** MD, DFAPA, FANPA
You Can Mold and Optimize your Brain Functioning.
That’s because of neuroplasticity of the brain
What
is Neuroplasticity?
Neuroplasticity
is the capability of the brain to mold
and change.
A long time ago,
we believed that the brain is static and unchangeable.
In fact, there
is an old saying that old dogs can’t learn new tricks.
But this is
wrong.
The brain has plasticity – it is not hardwired and fixed; it is
moldable and changeable. It can flex, change, and form new pathways when
stimulated.
Old
dogs can learn new tricks and so can humans!
Every time we
learn something new, the brain changes a little. And if repeated continuously,
new pathways can be formed.
This is
true for both young and the old. Of course,
neuroplasticity is at its peak in the very young, children, and early adulthood,
but it does not stop growing and forming new connections.
Even as we
age, we can keep our brains healthy and enhance plasticity by staying active
and learning new things.
How
Does Neuroplasticity Work?
The brain is a
unique organ; it is still mysterious, and scientists are continuing to learn
more about the brain and how it works.
The brain and the spinal cord are parts of a
complex body system called the central nervous system responsible for receiving,
processing, and responding to stimuli we receive via our eyes, ears, nose, touch,
and taste. The Brain can be considered as the maestro coordinating
the orchestra of our body.
A few technalities -
The brain is a gelatinous mass of about 3 pounds. The brain’s fundamental
operating cell, is the neuron. is surrounded and supported by glial cells. The
brain has about 100 billion neurons.
The
neurons have long branches (axons) and multiple short branches (dendrites) by
which they connect with each other. Neurons communicate with each other across
synapses (spaces between the neurons) through electrochemical signals called
neurotransmitters; they flow into the synapse when a neuron is electrically
stimulated and affects the electric properties of the adjacent neuron. Commonly
known transmitters are serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, glutamate, and
gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Each neuron receives input from multiple other
neurons via its dendrites and transmits messages via its axon. Neurons
group together into neural pathways or neural circuits that carry out different
functions. These pathways are made up of
multiple networks that are working together in a coordinated way to keep us
thinking, feeling moving, and functioning. This as you can imagine is a very
simple way to explain the very complex mechanism of the workings of the brain.
New learning has
the potential to alter the intensity and the number of connections between
neurons, thereby creating new pathways. Scientists believe neurons that ‘fire
together, wire together.’ This is the essence of neuroplasticity.
Our daily habits – activities we do
regularly - have
created strong neural pathways; in other words, they are the well-travelled
pathways.
But we can change our old unhealthy habits and practice
new healthy habits and form new pathways.
How Can We Enhance Neuroplasticity?
Practicing and repeating activities can help with forming
new pathways, also called rewiring.
Helping the Injured Brain Heal -
Regions of the brain that are injured by whatever mechanism - stroke, traumatic
brain injury, etc. - can be bypassed by other neural pathways taking over, when
new strategies are learned and practiced. This is one of the concepts of neuro-rehabilitation.
Enriching our lives with novelty, creativity and healthy
tasks can promote neuroplasticity.
· Meditation,
· Yoga,
· Physical Exercise,
· Brain Training via games,
· Good Diet,
· Hydration, and
· Sleep Hygiene.
For
people who have had brain injury of any kind and are struggling with physical
and or emotional consequences, neuro-rehabilitation (e.g. physical therapy,
occupational therapy, speech therapy), medicines prescribed by doctors with
expertise in the field, talk therapies, and even brain stimulation using
magnets (when done by physicians with experience/expertise) have the potential to help with the rewiring.
Neuroplasticity works on the principle of “use it
or lose it.”
Diligent practice is necessary to form and establish new pathways.
However, it is
important to remember that not all neuroplasticity is favorable. For
example, we can overlearn unhealthy habits; our negative
feelings and
emotions can make us behave in certain ways that are not pleasant or
productive. Continuing this unhealthy path can only perpetuate the problem.
Either we need to find solutions to break this habit or get professional help
to unlearn negative thinking and learn new behaviors.
Ways to Enhance Neuroplasticity
|
Learning New Things – for example, if you are right-handed, start
using your left hand more |
|
Digital Therapeutics – these include video games that have been
studied to improve brain functioning; not all video games do this, so it is
important to talk to someone well-versed in this field |
|
Structure and Habit Formation – the brain loves structured time and the
creation of good habits (such as exercise) |
|
Stress Management Tools – such as yoga and meditation |
|
Rest –
including adequate sleep and relaxation time built into your day |
Conclusion: The brain is adaptable, changeable, and malleable, and it has the potential to reorganize itself and form new pathways by new learning, retraining, and repeated activities.
Enhance neuroplasticity by nourishing your brain with pleasurable,
healthy, and stimulating activities!
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** Dr. Vani Rao, MD, DFAPA, FANPA is a part-time Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Science at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine & a Private Practitioner in Washington DC.
