Your brain is complex and truly remarkable. Not only does it allow you to perceive the world and perform intricate and amazing skills, but it also adapts and changes throughout the course of your life. This ability is known as neuroplasticity, and it allows your brain to grow, learn, and even recover from injuries. In this article, we’ll begin to explore the fascinating phenomenon of neuroplasticity, how it works, and how you can harness its potential to enhance your own cognitive abilities.

What is Neuroplasticity?

Neuroplasticity, sometimes called brain plasticity or neural plasticity, is a term for your brain’s ability to reorganise itself by forming new neural connections. Basically, your brain is undergoing a constant process of change. This could be in response to learning a new skill, your daily experiences, and even the influence of the world around you.

This process helps to optimize the network of neural pathways in your brain. These are connections that form a vast network enabling all your mental processes and actions. You could think of it as being like a system of roads and streets in a busy city. Every thought or action you want to produce requires millions of interconnected neural pathways to communicate with each other and when you start to learn something new your brain needs to create new pathways. The pathways that are used most often strengthen and become increasingly efficient, but those used more rarely become less accessible. This is why practice makes perfect! The more you practice, the stronger the neural pathways for that skill become. It’s almost like the stronger, more used pathways are like fast motorways for neural communication and the ones used less often are like quiet, slow country lanes.

There are two main types of neuroplasticity:

1. Structural Plasticity

This involves physical changes in the brain’s structure. It includes the formation of new neurons (neurogenesis) and the creation of new connections (synaptogenesis). This is what is happening during the process of learning new skills for example. However, there is also synaptic pruning which is where neural connections are trimmed back due to lack of use. This process helps the brain to stay efficient and devote less energy to less commonly used connections. If you don’t use it, you lose it!

2. Functional Plasticity

This is how the brain can redistribute functions, usually after an injury. Your brain is organised in such a way that specific parts control specific functions. If one of those parts is damaged, other parts can sometimes be used to help take over the functions of the original part. Scientists have researched the benefit of this for patients recovering from strokes and identified different ways to enable the brain to facilitate this reorganisation and help patients to regain skills and abilities they had lost.

How Can You Take Advantage of Neuroplasticity?

Neuroplasticity is a constant and subconscious process. It’s happening whether you want it to or not! But there are some things you can do to facilitate your own neuroplasticity and optimise your own neural connections:

1. Keep learning

The more you learn, the more efficient your brain can become. Why not learn a new language or start a new hobby? By giving yourself new cognitive challenges, you can stimulate the growth of new neurons and connections. The same applies to practicing things you already know. The more you practice, the more efficient the connections become!

2. Keep being active

Regular exercise isn’t only good for your physical health; it also increases blood flow to the brain which promotes the growth of new neurons and can increase overall brain health.

3. Sleep

Getting a good night’s rest enables your brain to consolidate and process the information from the day. A lack of sleep can not only impair your brain’s plasticity but is also linked to other health risks!

4. Spend time with others

Interacting with other people, engaging in conversation, and laughing at jokes have all been shown in research to have positive effects on mental health and even neuroplasticity.

5. Stay Positive

A positive mindset can enhance neuroplasticity by reducing stress and promoting a sense of well-being.

I said at the start of this article that your brain complex and truly remarkable. If you didn’t agree before I hope you do now! Through the processes of neuroplasticity your brain is constantly changing. The connections in your brain are like muscles in that they become stronger when they are used more, and you can choose which ones you want to strengthen. As you learn new skills and practice the ones you already know your brain is optimising billions of connections which allow you to improve and excel. You can take advantage of these dynamic processes to enhance your mental and physical wellbeing throughout your entire life.