Neuroplasticity... What is it, and why should I care?

The modern human brain, has the attention span equivalent to or less than that of a goldfish. I invite you to challenge that sad (but true) fact and allow yourself to read beyond the first two historical and science based paragraphs before you check out and desire the “next” mental stimulation.

Neuroplasticity Theory was first introduced in the early 20th century by Ramon y Cajal, which was then advanced by Polish Psychologist, Jerzy Konorski in 1948. According to Konorski, the brain and central nervous system both experience change in two ways. First, nerve cells react to a basic nerve impulse, referred to as excitation. These reactions set the stage in allowing changes to occur which are called changes in excitability. Second, as a result of a combination of these appropriate excited stimuli, certain permanent functional transformations arise in particular systems of neurons. This is referred to as plasticity and the changes, “plastic [can be molded] changes.” (Kandel, 2000). Huh? I know that description is thick (and old) and, I feel the need to offer honor the work of those who originated the field of plasticity. Sorry I'm not sorry. Dr. Daniel Siegel offers this more modern definition: “Neuroplasticity is the term used to describe the capacity for creating new neural connections and growing neurons in response to experience...it is the shaping of the brain due to external and internal input” (Siegel, 2010).

I'm sure not everyone is as enthusiastic about cellular neuroscience as I am. However... this means, that what we choose for our experiences (attention), even on a cellular level, the human brain has the capability to make changes to itself based on these choices. “The power to direct our attention has within it the power to shape our brain's firing patterns, as well as the power to shape the architecture of the brain itself,” (Siegel, 2010). How amazing is that??!!!

Since we as humans have the ability and tools of experience and attention to change our brains, wouldn't it be stellar if we could feel less stressed out at work and improve job performance at the same time? Well, we can and we have. A study conducted at the National Institute of Health showed that by practicing mindful meditation for a mere eight weeks the participants were able to increase activity in their brain's prefrontal cortex and shrink, yes actually SHRINK the amygdala, (Wilson, 2013). The prefrontal cortex is responsible for executive decision making, planning and emotional regulation. Therefore they became better at handling projects, organizing and remaining content. The amygdala, responsible for fear responsiveness and how much stress we experience SHRANK! Oh and by the way, the participants of this study, were over-stressed business people.How can I begin on working on improving my neuroplasticity you ask? The sky is the limit!!

The basic premise, is to learn some sort of new skill. This way, you will learn it and practice it, as attention, repetition (and emotion) is key in the formation of new neural connections (Siegel, 2010). The short video will teach you how to correctly pronounce a word used in most yoga classes, which most Americans, even yoga teachers, mispronounce.

Be well. Be WellStated. Namaste.

Sources:

Kandel, E. (2000). The Priniples of Neural Science. New York: McGraw-Hill, Health Professions Division.

Siegel, D. (2010). Mindsight. New York: Random House Publishing Group.

Wilson, A. (2013 May, 16). Mindfulness Meditation and the Brain. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kripalu/mindfulnessmeditation_b_3238677.html