What is neuroplasticity of the brain?
Neuroplasticity is the property of the brain that allows it to change its structure and function through activity and experience. Psychiatrist Norman Doidge, MD, discusses how neuroplasticity can be an effective therapeutic tool.
Transcript
Turns out, for instance, if you do certain kinds of brain exercises over and over, you can develop new processing circuits
in the brain and improve them. [MUSIC PLAYING]
Neuro is for neuron, the nerve cells in the brain and the nervous system that fire signals. And plasticity means changeable, modifiable, or adaptable.
And neuroplasticity is that property of the brain that allows it to change its structure and its function through activity, whatever
we do, and mental experience. I mean it turns out, for instance, if you do certain kinds of brain exercises over and over,
you can develop new processing circuits in the brain and improve them. And so things like learning disorders,
where people are born without certain processes to do certain activities involved in reading or other mental functions,
can actually be exercised. And you can actually grow new connections and processors that you weren't born with.
You can do the same thing for attention as well. Some people who are born with attention deficit problems think that the only way they can deal with it
is by taking medication. But medication, you have to take for life. If you can train those circuits up,
which you can with things like neurofeedback or certain sound therapies, you won't need to take medication.
And your attention can be brought to normal or above normal limits. [AUDIO LOGO]
brain health nervous system
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