Issue #21: Rewiring Your Brain
Learn all about neuroplasticity, our brain's ability to modify itself based on our experiences
Dear mental health advocate,
Happy Halloween! I have written a new edition of The Present Psychologist Paper to help raise awareness about mental health and psychology. Hope you will enjoy it!
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And now, back to the content. In this edition I will deep dive into neuroplasticity. Our brain harbors many secrets and processes that are quite fascinating. One of them has the ability to reorganize and update, so we can adapt to illness, diseases and trauma. Want to learn how? Keep on reading…
Rewiring Your Brain
Our brain is incredibly fascinating. It’s a complex machine, constantly managing different and quick calculations, controlling a multitude of functions. Without our brain, we would be not be able to do much. Entire research fields have been set up to investigate and uncover many of the secrets our brain holds. In psychology, our brain is a vital part of various theories and studies. For example, neuropsychology explores systematic relationships between the brain and our behavior. Such findings are of vital importance, because they will provide information to help cure diseases or help understand how certain brain functions impact our actions.
Today, I want to look at one of our brain’s most special features: neuroplasticity. In common culture people often repeat the myth that as an adult, your brain is fully grown and stuck in its ways. Yes, while it is true that your brain is almost fully developed when you are 25 years old (more specifically, your prefrontal cortex), this does not mean your brain is not able to change or adapt. In certain situations it is possible that experiences or hard work can influence the rewiring of your brain. Whether this is about learning a new language, trying out a new skill or simply doing the work to get better after going through psychological trauma - neuroplasticity plays a crucial role.
So what is ‘neuroplasticity’ exactly?
No, this does not mean your brain is made of plastic. But what does it mean then? Well, you might already know I love my definitions. According to Britannica, neuroplasticity can best be described as:
the capacity of neurons and neural networks in the brain to change their connections and behaviour in response to new information, sensory stimulation, development, damage, or dysfunction.
Some parts of the brain function in a way that is pretty much hard-wired, which means it will not change easily, while other parts of the brain have neural networks that can adapt and reorganize. This does not mean they do not have specific functions, more that it can alter itself. Scientists believe that because of this, neuroplasticity is simply a fundamental part of the brain.
In several situations it is necessary for the brain to adapt, especially in cases when there is need to compensate for an illness or change in environment. There are mechanisms in place to connect intact neurons and avoid damaged ones. To illustrate this, let me explain an example. Our brain consists of two ‘halves’ (hemispheres). If someone has a damaged hemisphere, then the one that is still functioning will likely take over some functionalities. Generally, neuroplasticity can be seen to work in two ways:
Functional plasticity: occurs when the brain tries to fix damage in one area by letting another area take over its main function.
Structural plasticity: occurs when the brain adapts and changes because it has learned a new skill or functionality.
What are typical neuroplasticity characteristics?
Many factors play a role in how neuroplasticity affects people and their brains. There are a lot of benefits, but also downsides. Bear in mind that this neuroplasticity is something that applies to everyone, it is inherently a human trait. Below a list of things that are true about neuroplasticity:
Age influences neuroplasticity. When you are young, your brain is still in development and therefore more susceptible to input and experiences that affect it. This sensitivity also leads to better adaptability, as brain regions are still being wired. If you are older and your brain is more developed as an adult, neuroplasticity still occurs, just a bit slower and not in every region.
Neuroplasticity never stops. It is a vital process in your brain and it keeps happening during various situations. Every new or learning experience impacts various components in the brain, like glial cells, neurons and vascular cells. Another process which requires neuroplasticity is when your are making new memories. These need to be updated and stored, which reorganizes parts in your brain.
Injuries or illnesses are linked to neuroplasticity. If a brain region is damaged, it is possible that certain functionalities do not work as well as they used to. In some cases, other parts of the brain that still function well can take over damaged regions to perform those tasks. However, sometimes this is not possible. Also, if someone is suffering from a disease or mental illness it can negatively impact the brain and also its plasticity. Think about substance abuse, trauma (like PTSD), epilepsy or cerebral palsy.
Not everything is possible with neuroplasticity. While it sounds amazing that our brain can learn and reorganize, this does not mean that it is infinitely an option. Certain processes and regions are quite hard-wired like parts of our speech and cognition, which means that these are largely in place already and critical to specific functionalities. Also, sometimes when there is damage to a brain region it can be irreversible. It is not always possible that another region takes over.
Neuroplasticity benefits
As you might already guess, neuroplasticity has a lot of benefits. It is a fascinating process, one that often happens unconsciously. If you understand it and know what neuroplasticity does and mean, you can use it to your own advantage. How? Well, here’s a list of neuroplasticity benefits:
It can help with learning. Everyone is able to learn something new, and that’s where neuroplasticity comes in. When we repeat a new skill or action and build memories around it, our brain starts to remember and train by building new neural networks. Neurons play a vital part here.
It can help with mental illness. If someone is depressed or suffers from anxiety, it tampers with their neuroplasticity. But, when trying certain remedies neuroplasticity can be triggered. Some anti-depressants can help with this, as well as specific lifestyle changes like physical exercise, a healthy diet and enough sleep. I am not saying this will simply cure them, but it does play a role.
It can help boost your brain. Being mindful and doing mental exercises will strengthen awareness and build new connections between neurons. This way, it will keep your brain fit and healthy. This is why meditation, mindfulness, yoga, puzzles and other physical hobbies (like painting) boost brain fitness.
It can help with a speedy recovery. As mentioned before, the brain has some amazing ways to help out when some damage is done as a result of trauma or injury. In some cases, other parts assist with taking over or recovery. Neuroplasticity is essential when rehabilitating.
How to help rewire your brain?
A psychiatrist named Jeffrey Schwartz has developed a four-step model, initially used to help treat OCD but further refined to apply it as a mindfulness model to assist with rewiring parts of your brain. This can be especially useful when trying to break with dysfunctional and unsustainable patterns in your life. Think about negative or unwanted thoughts that you’d rather get rid of. Schwartz has defined the following four steps:
Relabel. First, you need to identify the difficult and dysfunctional thought. Only then you can label them that way and understand why you would rather not have them.
Reframe: Then, it will be very important to ensure you change your view about the situation. Work on recognizing and relabelling these thoughts as false. Only then you will be forced more to let those go.
Refocus: Thirdly, you will have to try and focus on more productive mental activities and thoughts to counter the unwanted and unhelpful thoughts. Only then it will help you with gaining back control.
Revalue: Finally, it is crucial to repeat the previous three steps over and over again so your brain will get used to the new processes and situation. Only then a positive feedback system will rewire your brain.
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My name is Alf Lokkertsen and I am a psychologist and writer, creating mental health content for you. My passion is to raise awareness about topics related to psychology, as it has helped me greatly in my personal life. I strongly believe that many problems could be avoided or dealt with better if everyone had some in-depth psychology knowledge.
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