Learning is an important process, but how do we achieve it and why is it easier for some people than others? We can explore these questions together to gain a better understanding of the subject. I'm Dr. Lara Boyd, a brain researcher here at the University of British Columbia. My research focuses on understanding how physical activity can affect brain plasticity to improve motor and cognitive functions. Brain research is a captivating field of study as it leads to greater insights into both our human physiology and personal identity. It's an exhilarating experience for me to be a part of this exciting development, for I wholeheartedly believe that being a brain researcher is one of the most stimulating careers anyone could ever have. Advances in our understanding of the brain are occurring with remarkable speed. Our knowledge in this area is evolving at an astonishing rate, so much so that what we know about the brain today will likely look quite different tomorrow.
Much of what we believed about the brain has been proven incomplete or incorrect. Certain beliefs are more obvious than others: they range from underestimated functions and differently functioning neurons to altered perceptions of the physical structure itself. It was once believed that after childhood, the brain was incapable of change; however, this could not be more false. Also, at any given time, it's often assumed that only certain sections of the brain are used and that when the individual is inactive, their brain is completely silent. However, this other belief too couldn't be further from the truth. So, even when you're completely still and seemingly not thinking about anything, your brain is actually hard at work. Technology advancements, such as MRI, have enabled us to discover many crucial discoveries. These cutting-edge developments in the scientific field have allowed for further exploration of our universe. Neuroplasticity allows us to experience the most exciting and transformative of discoveries: every time we learn a new fact or skill, it alters our brains! This process can be both interesting and meaningful. Such changes occur at their fullest potential when continuously practiced and reinforced.
We once believed that after puberty, the only alterations in the brain were detrimental such as decreased cell numbers due to aging or external damage like stroke. 25 years ago, this was our accepted notion. Yes, indeed it is; recent studies have revealed exciting evidence of the adult brain's ability to reorganize and adapt through behavior modifications. This groundbreaking research has demonstrated that changes in our brains are not fixed with age; rather, we can restructure and potentially improve our cognitive functioning by consciously altering our behaviors. Brain reorganization is the process of the brain forming new networks, connections, and structures to either compensate for lost function due to injury or disease or to improve its capacity. This is happening constantly and has a positive impact on recovery after damage. Very importantly, it helps support the healing process.
Neuroplasticity is the key to making changes and seeing improvements in ourselves. This phenomenon gives us the capacity to alter our neural pathways, allowing us to adjust and adapt, even drastically, over time. Our brains are highly malleable – they can be molded and rewired as our needs and demands change. When it comes to learning, your brain has the capacity to change in three fundamental ways, the first of which is related to chemistry. The first way is by changing its chemical makeup. Chemicals between brain cells (neurons) trigger a series of reactions that allow the brain to function. These chemical signals transfer from neuron to neuron, causing actions and responses. Your brain can improve learning processes by increasing the concentration of the chemical signals that pass between neurons. The alteration to neuron operation that occurs with repetition of a motor skill strengthens the presence of short-term memory, as it is capable of happening quickly. This consequently facilitates the immediate enhancement of performance in such tasks.
The brain has the capacity to adapt and improve as it interacts with its environment, and this applies to learning as well. The second way in which this happens is by restructuring its neural pathways. This process allows new connections to be made, making it easier for people to learn and remember information. The brain is capable of altering its connections between neurons when it goes through the learning process. These changes are due to the fact that the brain is constantly building upon whatever knowledge and experiences it has accumulated beforehand. The actual physical structure of the brain alters over time, which is related to an improvement in a motor skill and associated with long-term memory. This process requires more time to achieve compared to other types of changes.
You may have experienced getting better at a motor skill, such as playing the piano or learning to juggle, within a single session of practice and thinking that you have already mastered it. This is an example of how the processes of learning, practicing and seeing improvement interact. Maybe you returned the next day, only to find that all of your previous day's improvements had been undone. What could have caused this? In a short period of time, increased chemical signaling between your brain's neurons enabled memory abilities, yet the structural changes necessary for long-term recollection were not established. Long-term memories do not happen overnight; the physical and chemical changes that occur during those memories take time to develop. What we observe in the short-term does not indicate learning, even though these brief changes will lay the groundwork for longer, more meaningful memories.
Structural changes in the neurological architecture have to ability to bring together different brain regions, leading to them functioning collectively in order for learning and other important behaviors. These modifications may also result in a certain brain region becoming larger or more efficient for specific behavior. People who read Braille have an advantage: their hand sensory areas in the brain are larger compared to those without such ability. Specifically, the dominant motor region (if right-handed) located on the left side of the brain is larger than that on its counterpart. Research has uncovered that London taxi cab drivers have an enlarged region of the brain which is devoted to spatial and mapping memories. This is a result of their requirement to memorize a map of London in order to obtain their taxi cab license.
Lastly, your brain can also make changes to support your learning by modifying its functioning. Through these alterations, your brain is better equipped to absorb the information you are attempting to learn. As you employ a certain region of the brain, its level of excitability and accessibility increases. Consequently, this heightened activity leads to alterations in the pattern and frequency at which these regions are activated. We observe changes and shifts in networks of brain activity with the advent of learning. Neuroplasticity is based upon chemical, structural, and functional changes across the entirety of the brain. These three mechanisms - chemical, structural, and functional - all support each other in order to produce the effects of neuroplasticity. Most often, both occur together, but there are times when one or the other can happen isolated. In such cases, they take place separately. A continuous process of teaching and learning can be achieved with both educators and students working together. This partnership strives to provide a supportive environment for study and growth.
Your brain is incredibly flexible and adaptive – it can be rewired to learn new things! Neuroplasticity makes this possible, allowing the brain to form and reorganize connections, even in adulthood. This exciting phenomenon means your brain can continuously improve and you are continually capable of growth. Neuroplasticity is a process that often limits us from learning and recovering from brain damage with ease. Our declining memory as we age, or why our children struggle in school - all of these questions can be tied back to the concept of neuroplasticity. What truly hampers this process then? I study how neuroplasticity can help with recovery from stroke. Specifically, I explore the connection between neuroplasticity, thinking skills and recovery time after a stroke.
Stroke has recently seen a decrease in its prevalence as the third leading cause of death in the United States and is now currently the fourth leading cause of death - a great sign of progress! In spite of the expectation that the number of people having a stroke has declined, it turns out that this is not actually the case; what we have gotten better at is keeping stroke survivors alive. It is hard to aid the brain in recovering from stroke, yet our attempted attempts for successful rehabilitation interventions have sadly fallen short. Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability in adults worldwide. Our research found that Canadians with stroke have a lower health-related quality of life, likely due to the fact that individuals who experience stroke are getting both younger and living longer with their disability. Clearly, the recovery from stroke needs to be improved upon significantly. It is a tremendous challenge that society has yet to overcome. We must do all we can to help those who have experienced strokes and make sure they can recover successfully.
The most effective way of shaping your brain is through behavioral changes. Unfortunately, a lot of practice is needed to acquire and relearn motor skills. Therefore, to accommodate this requirement, neuroplastic change needs to be initiated in the brain through the right type of behavior. Delivering large doses of practice effectively is a costly challenge. However, it is one that must be addressed in order to optimize learning outcomes. Using brain simulation, exercise and robotics to prime or prepare the brain for learning, my research has taken an approach of developing therapies for this purpose. A major limitation that hinders the progress of therapies designed to accelerate recovery from stroke is the variability in patterns of neuroplasticity among different individuals. This has been discovered through my research. Variability has commonly been a frustration for researchers. Due to the implications it has on interpreting collected data and assessing theories, medical studies are specifically tailored to minimize the variance found. Variability already makes it difficult to use statistical methods to check and make sure all the data is accurate. But if anything, my research is indicating that the most relevant and illuminating data we are collecting is demonstrating the variability. This has become increasingly evident and is proving to be the most influential information.
The primary lesson that can be learned from brain studies after stroke is that behavior, not a neuroplasticity drug, is the main influence on changes in our brains. This knowledge holds great value and should be applied to other areas of research. No matter what, you cannot bypass practice if you want to learn; in other words, you need to put in the effort and do the work. My research has found that practice which involves greater difficulty leads to more learning and brain structure change. Specifically, the struggle involved can result in both enhanced learning and a structural transformation in the brain. Neuroplasticity has both positive and negative consequences. For example, it can allow us to acquire new knowledge or refine motor skills; yet, at the same time it can lead to a loss of previously acquired knowledge, addictions to drugs, and even chronic pain. Your brain is highly adaptable, restructured and modified across all facets by not just what you do, but also what you don't. Its structural and functional makeup are both significantly shaped by your daily lifestyle. No two brains are the same, so there is no single "recipe" for learning. The second key lesson we have learnt about the brain is that each individual has different needs when it comes to learning, requiring a personalized approach. It may be popularly believed that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to learn and master a new motor skill; however, this is not always the case. For some of us, practice is key in order to master the skill we're trying to learn, while for others it may take much less effort. For each of us, the modification of our specific brains is so varied that no one remedy will be successful. Therefore, various methods must be incorporated in order to accommodate everyone's needs.
The concept of personalized medicine is being explored as a solution to optimize individual outcomes through tailored interventions. This has resulted in the realization that different individuals may require various treatments, rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach. The chemotherapeutic notion of matching certain cancer treatments with particular forms of cancer based on genetic factors actually originated from research on personalized medicine and neuroplasticity. Genetics have been found to play an integral part in this type of pairing for successful treatments. My findings reveal that this same concept applies to stroke rehabilitation as well. Specifically, it has been observed that a timely intervention could potentially help speed up an individual's recovery from the medical condition. Brain structure and function biomarkers are proving to be immensely beneficial in helping to match individual patients with the right treatments. These characteristics have enabled personalized medicine, giving everyone the chance to receive an appropriate therapy. Combining multiple biomarkers appears to be the best method for predicting neuroplastic change and patterns of recovery after stroke, which is in line with how complex the human brain is. My laboratory's data supports this conclusion. Given the unique structure and function of each of our brains, neuroplasticity is a concept that can be considered much more broadly. After stroke, we have learned that the brain has the capacity to rewire itself and that this same power applies to everyone.
Everyday behaviors that we use are essential for our mental health. By continually implementing these behaviors, we are not only forming helpful habits but also rewiring our brains. Not only must we consider personalized medicine, but also personalized learning. Both need to be taken into account for us to have an effective approach in healthcare. As a learner and teacher, the uniqueness of your brain will have an impact on how you process and convey information. Some children may easily adapt and flourish in traditional education settings, while others do not. It can also be observed that some individuals are able to quickly grasp languages without much effort, yet they lack proficiency in various sports. This concept helps us comprehend why such patterns exist among different people. As you all depart from this room today, something remarkable will have come to pass: your brains will be quite different from how they were at the start of this morning. Every single one of you has altered their own brain in some unique way. By understanding these discrepancies, specific patterns, variation and modifications, we will be able to make the next big leap in neuroscience. This will enable us to create newer and more effective treatments and find the right matches between teachers and learners as well as patients to their respective treatments. While this applies to the recovery from stroke, it also applies to each of us in our roles as parents, teachers, managers or lifelong learners, especially those of us at TEDx today.
To learn effectively, figure out which study methods and topics work best for you, then stick to what is beneficial for your brain. It is also important to ditch any behaviors or habits that do not help you in the process. The most effective way to gain knowledge is by practicing and repeating healthy studying habits. Learning is all about doing the work that your mind needs, and the best ways of achieving this will differ for each person. For example, it may be simple for you to learn music but difficult to learn snowboarding. This can even vary within an individual depending on what they are trying to learn. I trust that you have newfound recognition for the incredible power of your brain after having this experience today. Every interaction with the world around you is influencing and re-shaping your plastic brain. Hence, be aware of the fact that all actions, experiences and events are having an effect on your cognitive abilities. As you leave today, I encourage you to make a conscious effort in building the brain of your dreams. By doing so, you can create positive change; however, it is also important to be aware that this change may come with negative consequences. So I urge you to go out and construct the ideal brain for yourself.
See also: https://mygodsentangels.com/