Desire Deschenes

April 2nd, 2020

Psychology 12

Mrs. Colpitts

Neuroplasticity

“The human brain has 100 billion neurons, each neuron connected to 10 thousand other

neurons. Sitting on your shoulders is the most complicated object in the known universe.” -

Michio Kaku (Bartucca, 2018).​ The human brain and its functions have been described as the

most complicated object in the known universe. Understanding the complexity of the functions

of the human mind is incredibly difficult. There are so many different considerations that must

go into exploring the ability of the brain that beliefs and theories can shift completely in a matter

of years. With neuroplasticity, there have been many advancements leading to new views on the

subject. The theory has had a major impact on psychologists’ understanding of memory and

learning, and the principle can be utilized throughout life to improve cognitive abilities, as well

as benefiting the world of brain injury and disease treatment greatly.

Neuroplasticity (sometimes referred to as neural plasticity) is the brain’s ability to be able

to continue adapting and building new connections. Neuroplasticity can occur throughout one’s

life, and is particularly relevant in learning, brain injury or disease, and situations with new

experiences. The word neuroplasticity can be broken down into two words: neuro and plasticity.

The meanings of these words can give insight into the meaning of neuroplasticity; “Neuro means

nervous system, [which is controlled by the brain]... Plasticity comes from the Greek word

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Plastos, meaning ‘moldable. Together, neuroplasticity means a moldable brain.” (Plasticity

Centres, 2017). Simply put, neuroplasticity is the principle that throughout life, the brain isn’t

static, it’s flexible and can accommodate changes throughout one’s life. Causation can be

something as everyday as learning, or experiencing something new. It can also be caused by

brain injury or disease, which would cause the brain to adapt and rewire to accommodate any

loss or damage. Neuroplasticity isn’t something you treat. However, it has an important role in

treating different things. Neuroplasticity can be used in a variety of ways, such as: treating

anxiety, rewiring the brain to procrastinate less, treating brain damage, or even slowing the

progression of dementia. There aren’t exactly symptoms of neuroplasticity, but scientists can

observe the occurrence in scans, as well as observe the results. In terms of results, this could

mean a patient with brain damage exhibiting activity in a part of the brain not usually attributed

to the task being performed (due to rewiring after damage to a certain area). Certain techniques

can be used to utilize neuroplasticity for improvement. Thai Nguyen (2017), a writer focused on

writing about mental strategies for healthy living, listed and described 10 ways to use

neuroplasticity to improve. In his article ​10 Proven Ways To Grow Your Brain: Neurogenesis

and Neuroplasticity​, Nguyen lists things such as intermittent fasting, using mnemonic devices,

getting proper sleep, travelling, or learning a musical instrument. At any age, maintaining one’s

memory is vital. Forming new neural pathways by learning or experiencing something new can

have great benefits at any point in life.

Many psychological studies involving memory fit the experience of neuroplasticity, such

as Pavlov’s experiment. In the case of intent to explore neuroplasticity specifically, Karl

Lashley’s rat experiment is an excellent example. This research was conducted by Karl Lashley

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and a fellow researcher named Shepherd Ivory Franz in the year 1950. The experiment involved

creating surgical lesions in or removing tissue from different parts of rats' brains. Lashley and

Franz tried removing tissue from or putting lesions in every part of the brain that they could that

would still allow the rat to be alive. As soon as the rats' brains healed from the procedure, they

let them run the maze. Lashley and Franz then observed whether lesions or removal of tissue in

certain parts, versus others, affected the rat’s ability and memory to get through a maze to reach

its reward. The researchers found that lesions in any part of the brain did not affect the rats’

ability to make it through the maze. Unless they induced severe brain damage, the rats were able

to function with no noticeable differences. The study produced some revolutionary findings in

psychology at the time. The results of the study were particularly influential, for two main

theories it helped propound. The first is called the mass action principle, which suggests that

learning and memory aren’t localized to one area of the brain, meaning a proportion of damaged

brain tissue is directly proportional to decreases in memory and learning functions. The second

theory is called equipotentiality. Equipotentiality is the theory that, in the event of brain trauma,

any area of the brain is capable of compensating by performing the memory function the

damaged part had previously. The support of these two theories helped shift the understanding of

memory greatly at the time the experiments occurred.

Neuroplasticity is relevant to learning about memory in many aspects. In the past, it has

contributed greatly to the understanding of memory in psychology. Knowing that memory isn’t

just attributed to a singular area, and can be transferred if brain tissue is damaged was extremely

beneficial to developing knowledge on memory. The way memory and learning is viewed today

wouldn’t be the same without the theory of neuroplasticity. Many believed the ability to learn

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and create neural pathways after childhood was impossible. With what is now known about

neuroplasticity, it has proved that untrue. The developments in brain injury and disease because

of this have been immensely impactful and have helped so many with recovering memory

function.

Neuroplasticity is a theory that has contributed in many ways to psychology. An

important part was aiding psychologists’ realization that after childhood brains are not stagnant,

as well as realizing that several brain functions were’t localized. Comprehending those facts led

to many advances, especially in the way that memory issues are handled and treated. The

knowledge that comes from the research of neuroplasticity has been influential to the

understanding of memory, and without it psychology’s awareness of the memory functions of the

brain would have been greatly impacted.

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 Citations:

Bartucca, Julie. (March 16, 2018) The Most Complicated Object in the Universe. Retrieved

from: ​https://today.uconn.edu/2018/03/complicated-object-universe/​.

Dewey, R. A. (n.d.). How are Memories Stored?: in Chapter 06: Memory. Retrieved from

https://www.psywww.com/intropsych/ch06-memory/how-are-memories-stored.html

Karl Lashley. (2018, April 12). ​New World Encyclopedia, ​. Retrieved from

https:​//www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Karl_Lashley&oldid=1010606

Nguyen, T. (2017, December 7). 10 Proven Ways To Grow Your Brain: Neurogenesis And

Neuroplasticity. Retrieved from ​https://www.huffpost.com/entry/10-proven-ways-to-

grow-yo_b_10374730

Plasticity Centers. (2017, April 19). What is Neuroplasticity? [Video file]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWIagHUqD8A