Recycling has a net ‘positive’ connotation. Please recycle. Leonardo DiCaprio and the Earth thank you.
However, recycling brain space seems decidedly less positive.
Our brains magnetise to preexisting neural pathways out of energy conservation (fancy for, ‘our brains are lazy, habit-oriented machines.’ Surely we can all sympathise with this tendency. Arguably one of the central tenants of technological development is a result of the tech industry smartly capitalising on human’s proclivity for laziness). While our brain’s appreciation for the familiarity and hominess of past experience leads us to recycle brain patterns with much greater frequency than we spend forging new synaptic patterns, neuroplasticity, or the science of evolving and changing brain patterns, is getting greater public attention.
Thanks to killer podcasts, solid journalism (here and here) and ‘neuroscience for amateurs’ TED talks (e.g. Gero Miesenboeck and Michael Merzenich), new(er) ideas about brain activity and plasticity have entered the mainstream. However, in most cases, once the podcast, article or TED Talk introduces a plebian-translation for complicated science theories behind brain plasticity, the discussion evolves into what does this mean for our everyday lives? The instinct is to invite the audience member to use their newfound awareness of the brain’s potential to squeeze more productivity, more youthful agility out of the organ.
Your brain is not a fresh sponge. We do not wake up each morning and wring out our brain, sleep to allow candy and unicorn dreams inflate our brain back up - all flushed and fluffy - just to wring it out again in the morning and watch knowledge and efficiency rain over our day. Not everything we do can adhere to economics principles of hyper efficiency – as much as we would like it to. Rather than capitalise on brain science in an endless pursuit of a better standard of living, take a second to mull over my own translated science blurb (below) and consider the opportunity for greater self-awareness rather than indulge in perfectionism.
OLD SCIENCE
Reigning scientific theory promoted the idea that brains were only ‘plastic’ (plastic in this sense means – “a brain that can form new connections”) in babies aged 0-5. Based on this science, if an adult brain were damaged it would be unable to regenerate or repair.
NEW SCIENCE
Fortunately, new(er) science proves adult brain-stagnation is not scientifically accurate; in fact, we can not only forge new neural pathways, but also regenerate brain cells throughout our lives (with varying degrees of difficulty. It is still better to be young.)^1 Through neuroplasticity, the brain compensates for the injury or shortcoming by activating new neural connections.
Note: Neuroplasticity differs from neurogenesis. Neuroplasticity starts to include new parts of the brain in brain activities that always existed but perhaps weren’t previously involved in those synaptic patterns. Neurogenesis is the regeneration of destroyed neurons.
From what I’ve read, the science of neurogenesis and neuroplasticity is considered predominately under the umbrella of investigating and curing cognitive trauma and disease. By investigating brain defects, scientists have come to understand more about the functioning of normal brains. As it turns out, injury provides impetus for neuroplasticity, but so does change in the external conditions of normal brains. Anything from challenging intellectual environments, to physical activity and new social situations impel the brain to form new neural connections.^2
This nugget of scientific wisdom is critical. Implied in neuroplasticity is the significance of how we invest our time as adults. How we nurture ourselves throughout our lives is directly correlated with the activity, growth and, ultimately, the health of our brains. To quote Michael Merzenich, “In your future is brain aerobics. Get ready for it. It's going to be a part of every life not too far in the future, just like physical exercise is a part of every well organised life in the contemporary period.”^3
While we can’t blink and capture mental MRI snapshots to judge the health and plasticity of our brains, we can consider brain health by scanning our daily activities and habits and evaluating what these patterns say about us as individuals. Merzenich said, “What we’ve done in our personal evolutions is build up a large repertoire of specific skills and abilities that are specific to our own individual histories. And in fact they result in a wonderful differentiation of humankind, in the way that, in fact, no two of us are quite alike. Every one of us has a different set of acquired skills and abilities that all derive out of the plasticity, the adaptability of this really remarkable adaptive machine.”^4
In sum, avoid recycling neural pathways by evaluating your life and introducing new intellectual and external environments into your personal ecosystem. Consider what your habits and quirks already are and how those may have formed unconscious neural pathways that will continue to govern your life. Consider these patterns from a negative and positive context, what are the unique attributes you wouldn’t want to erode with age and what are those that cause you trouble?
To conclude with some final words from my favorite of all quintessential neural-nerds:
“What it’s all about is the selective representations of things that are important to the brain. Because [most of the life of the brain] is under control of behavioral context. It’s what you pay attention to. It’s what’s rewarding to you. [...]
Now, overwhelmingly, the most powerful context that’s occurred in your brain is you. Billions of events have occurred in your history that are related in time to yourself as the receiver, or yourself as the actor, yourself as the thinker, yourself as the mover.”
Consider and embrace the unique patterns of recycling and exploring the space that your brain has to offer.
Juiced-up image of brain receptors. Image from Gero Miesenboeck's TED talk. Watch it here.
Citations:
^1 Information regarding the evolution of neuroplasticity in the science community is courtesy of Stanford University’s “HOPE” foundation:Huntington’s Outreach Project for Education at Stanford.” Stephanie Liou, “Neuroplasticity.” Hopes. 26 Jun, 2010. http://web.stanford.edu/group/hopes/cgi-bin/hopes_test/neuroplasticity/
^2 Stephanie Liou, "Neuroplasticity."
^3 Michael Merzenich, "The Elastic Brain." Feb, 2004. TED. http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_merzenich_on_the_elastic_brain/transcript?language=en#t-777000
^4 Michael Merzenich, "The Elastic Brain."