Prompt Cast
The Power of Neuroplasticity: How the Brain Can Change and Adapt
TLDR Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change and adapt throughout our lives. By engaging in specific processes like visual focus and minimizing distractions, we can enhance learning, improve attention, and promote neural plasticity.
Timestamped Summary
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Neural plasticity is the brain and nervous system's ability to change itself, and it occurs throughout our lives, with developmental plasticity being the process of removing connections that don't serve our goals well.
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Our nervous system is shaped by our experiences, and while certain parts of the brain are designed to be plastic and easily changeable, other circuits controlling vital functions like breathing and digestion are not, and after the age of 25, in order to change our nervous system, we have to engage in specific processes.
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Neurons responsible for smell can be replaced throughout the lifespan, but the number of new neurons added to the adult brain is very small, however, neural circuits can create new connections and add new functions through the process of making synapses between neurons and removing connections.
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Neuroplasticity involves recognizing the desire for change and being deliberate about what specifically needs to be changed in order to engage the brain and nervous system in making those changes.
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The brain only changes when specific neurochemicals are released and certain neurons are strengthened or weakened, which was discovered through experiments by David Hubel and Torrston Weasel.
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Experiments by Greg Reckon's own and Mike Merzenich in the early 90s proved that the adult brain can change and be plastic under certain conditions, such as paying careful attention to specific experiences, and the key neurochemical involved in this brain change is the same as the one involved in stress.
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Paying careful attention releases neurochemicals epinephrine and acetylcholine, which are necessary for neuroplasticity and brain change.
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Repetition is important for changing the brain, but the way to use repetition to change your brain is fundamentally different and can be achieved through a combination of behavioral practices, pharmacology, and brain machine interface.
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Increasing acetylcholine levels can improve focus and attention, and while there are pharmacological options like nicotine and supplements, visual focus can also be used to enhance mental focus.
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Visual focus can enhance mental focus by activating the release of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and acetylcholine in the brain.
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Practicing visual focus can improve your ability to concentrate and increase levels of attention, which can be achieved by focusing your eyes on a specific location and minimizing blinking.
01:04:58
Practicing visual focus and minimizing distractions, such as looking at phones or other motion stimuli, can improve attention and engage the brain's plasticity mechanisms more effectively than passive experiences like watching movies.
01:10:51
Practicing visual focus and maintaining attention on a specific task for about 90 minutes, followed by deep sleep or non-sleep deep rest, can enhance learning and promote neural plasticity.
01:16:43
Practicing visual focus during periods of heightened alertness, such as in the morning, can enhance learning and cognitive skills, while also considering the use of pharmacological practices like caffeine to support attention and engagement.
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Practicing intense focus and engaging in repetitive behaviors can enhance plasticity and promote learning and behavioral change.
Categories:
Health & Fitness
Science
