The Plastic Brain - A Fascinating Journey Into the Black Box

I've just finished reading one of the most fascinating books - The Brain that changes Itself - Stories of Personal Triumph From The Frontiers of Brain Science, by Norman Doidge, and I felt I absolutely needed to share my impressions with you. Doidge is a psychiatrist and researcher at Columbia University and this book is a wonderful journey into the mysteries of, reportedly, the most complex object in the Universe - our brain.

Up until not long ago it was believed that we are born with a fixed number of neurons, whose numbers decrease with age in a process that is irrevocable and immutable.

Thus it was also believed that, once childhood and the formative years had passed, the "window of opportunity" for authentic change in the brain had closed forever and that humans were doomed to increasing neural decay as they aged.

The latest research in neuroscience paints a completely different picture, and this is the picture that Doidge shares in his book, through amazing stories of researches, leading figures in brain science, each of them mavericks in their own way, who have pushed the frontiers of science in showing that our brain was capable of incredible feats, never before thought possible. There are also stories of patients who were able to rewire their own brains and lead normal lives after having gone through catastrophic brain damage that should (according to previous theories) condemn them to a life as handicapped persons.

You'll read about people who are irreversibly blind and who are, once again, able to "see" thanks to a special device planted on their skins, which converts images from a camera mounted on the subjects head into tiny "pinches" that the patient feels on their skin and which they, with practice, learn to interpret and finally visualize the actual imaged the "pinches" represent.

You'll find the stories of people who had half their bodies paralyzed after a stroke and who learnt to walk and talk again, ending up leading almost normal lives when nobody thought this might be possible.

There is the incredible story of a woman born with only half a brain, who technically shouldn't be alive, but who, amazingly, is able to walk, talk, work and do pretty much everything other people do.

And there are stories of children with all sorts of conditions, from autism, to dyslexia, attention deficit, or combinations of these and others, who, thanks to an innovative computer program that helps them practice their language and listening skills, have managed to overcome their conditions and function normally.

So how is all of this possible if our brain is so rigid, almost machine-like, as it was described for so long? Well, it's impossible! It's clear that we must change our view of the brain. And Doidge brings solid evidence, from numerous sources, that the brain is actually "plastic" - we do grow new neurons and form new connections all throughout our lives, up until the day we die. Moreover, what is most amazing, we are capable of changing the physical structures of our brains - all our thoughts, everything we learn, all the experiences we have shape our brain. Literally!

This idea of brain plasticity is now presented in a whole body of literature, but Doidge's argumentation impressed me more than other books I've read on the subject, because it's so scientific and, at the same time, so human. He shares the personal stories of patients and doctors alike, and the whole book feels overall like a novel, not a science book.

What are the implications of plasticity for our daily lives? Well, they are huge. Knowing that our brain can change, and we have the power to change it, gives us immense freedom and responsibility at the same time. We no longer have the excuse "I'm too old to change" or "It's too late for me to learn this, I should have done it when I was younger". We can learn ANYTHING ANYTIME! The brain is just like a muscle - the more you use it, the more flexible and strong it becomes.

So why am I sharing this with you, other than my enthusiasm for a great book? Well, I'm hoping that, becoming aware of the hidden resources for change and transformation within us, we'll all become more open to it, or at least try to. I'm hoping that people will find fewer justifications and take more action. I'm hoping more of us will come to believe that we are not the slaves of our bad habits, education, background, circumstances. That we will change how we think so we can change how we lead our lives. That's the message of this post.

Below is an interview where Doidge explains the ideas in his book, perhaps more convincingly than I might be able to do it. I hope you enjoy it and it makes you think about your own "black box" and all the wonders inside it!

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