Have you ever heard the phrase ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?’ Although this phrase is an idiom not concerning neuroscience, there is a connection between the two. Neuroplasticity can be simplified into the brain's capability to learn and to create new neural connections. As we age, neuroplasticity decreases which is what the idiom can be connected to.
Neuroplasticity helps you absorb information and maturity to manage new and different challenges in life. Simple things starting from when we were way younger are examples of neuroplasticity like when you learned how to ride a bike, learned how to read, and even when you started to speak. These all also cause a physical change in the brain as new paths from these different neurons firing create different pathways. Since neuroplasticity is a major part of learning, it also plays a huge role in relearning, which is crucial for people who have suffered a stroke or head injury. The ability to make new neural connections aids in that since connections to avoid the damaged area can be made. One type of neuroplasticity that aids in this is functional plasticity, which is the ability to make pathways around damaged areas of the brain due to an injury. The other type of neuroplasticity is structural plasticity which is the ability to make new pathways in the brain because of experiencing something new.
There are ways to make new neural connections such as going different routes, cooking/ baking new recipes, getting enough sleep, and more. Scientists used to believe that the brain stops growing after adolescence but now it has been shown that the brain grows and changes throughout one life span. Every new experience, new thought, or feeling creates these new neural pathways, and redoing, thinking, or feeling strengthens them. Neuroplasticity as it is allows us to adapt to our changing environments and life.
Neuroplasticity - Physiopedia (physio-pedia.com) Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board