Neural Plasticity
For a long time, it was common knowledge that the brain’s ability to adapt and learn is tremendous in early years, but non-existent once progressed into adulthood. Today we know that this is not the case. Our brain’s ability to adapt remains intact throughout the whole lifespan. Even in the elderly, new neurons are created and new skills can be learned.
Plasticity spans from instantaneous reactions of our brain to longtime effects of learning. Have you ever wondered, how it is possible that you can feel crooks in a wall when you move a screwdriver along? The screwdriver certainly has no sensory receptors! Our brain adapts instantaneously to tool use and translates a complicated mixture of weight, angle, vibration and more into a percept we can feel.
On the other hand, longterm learning affects the structure of the brain itself. When we repeat certain activities, we improve. On a cellular level, that means that neurons relevant for the trained activity transmit information more efficiently, form new pathways and recruit additional neurons.
However, plasticity still poses many questions. How much stability – the opposite of plasticity – is necessary to keep memories and our perception of the world intact? Is this ratio stable or can it change? Does improvement in one area come at the cost of another? What conditions are ideal to foster plasticity and increase learning success or regenearive treatment? These fundamental questions require research, which could ultimately benefit everyday learning just as much as treatment of brain injuries and deseases.