Monday, February 7, 2011

Continue: De Brain Tat Changes Itsev

Chap 3: Redesign
Brilliant neuroplastician, Micheal "Merz"enich is introduced. Brain plasiticity exists from the cradle to the grave. Thanks to Penfield and localisationists, the brain's topography is mapped.

For those who born in multiple culture country, they have the advantage to learn other languages easily and without an accent during the critical period.

Futhermore, the peripheral nervous system is plastic and able to regenerate itself. Merz also found the auditory cortex is mapped "tonotopically" like a piano. DoReMiFaSoLaDiDo, from low to high frequencies.

Besides, the nerves inside our brain always on a war. The time and efforts affect whether the brain map space is not lost to another. This also suggests why it is difficult for us to learn secondary language and end the tyranny of the mother tongue. For bilingual child, their brain's sound library has those two languages in same place. If you didn't use that part of brain, it will be taken over by others. You can't just delete or "unlearn" habits or addictions. Replacing with other things is the way to do it(persistent).

Neurons that fire together wire together. Neurons develop strong connections when they are activated at the same time. Neurons that fire apart wire apart. The skillful you become, the lesser neurons and muscles are used so we don't quickly run out of map space. The speed of the neuron and its efficiency can effect the swiftness of mental process. IQ tests measure the speed of thinking and getting the right answer.

BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor reinforces plastic changes in the critical period.
-wires neuron together and promotes thin fatty coat growth around neuron(speeds up signal transmission)
-turns on the nucleus basalis, allows us to focus
-close down the critical period(stabilization)

Reopening critical-period plasticity can help people to learn new skill effortless(photographic memory). To avoid Alzheimer's disease, old people have to learn and practice complete new skills so no metabolic decline in brain.

No comments:

Post a Comment