Pathways

Pathways

October 2023

Brainpower

Satish Dhar explains the concept  of neuroplasticity and ways we can adopt to  benefit from this  marvellous ability of  the brain to rewire  and restructure  itself 

In the early years, scientists assumed that  

the brain was a ‘non-renewable organ’ and  that brain cells were limited in number and  died slowly as we aged. But, over the last decade,  continuous research has revealed methods for  regenerating nerve cells. This is referred to as  ‘neurogenesis.’ 

Neuroplasticity is a related yet different  concept: it’s the brain’s ability to establish new  connections and pathways and modify how its  circuits are linked. The term neuronal plasticity  was used by the pioneer of neuroscience,  Santiago Cajal, in the early 1900s to characterise  non-pathological changes in the structure of  adult brains. 

Mind and brain 

Most people consider the terms ‘mind’ and  ‘brain’ interchangeable. However, the mind  and brain are actually two very different— but interconnected—entities. The mind  works through the brain but is  s e p a r a t e  from the  b r a i n .  

T h e  m i n d  uses the  brain,  a n d  t h e  brain responds to the mind. The mind also  changes the brain. People choose their actions— their brains do not force them to do anything.  Yes, there would be no conscious experience  without the brain, but experience cannot be  reduced to the brain’s actions. 

The mind is energy, and it generates  energy through thinking, feeling, and choosing.  It is our aliveness, without which the physical  brain and body would be useless. That  means we are our mind, and mind-in-action is  how we generate energy in the brain. 

When we generate this mind energy through  thinking, feeling, and choosing, we build  thoughts, which are physical structures in  our brain, made of proteins. This building  of thoughts creates structural changes in the  brain, called ‘neuroplasticity.’ 

Dr Leaf ’s clinical trial (2021) saw how energy in  the brain changed as the subject was thinking,  stimulating neuroplasticity in the process. The  brain was responding to the person’s stream-of consciousness and nonconscious activity. 

The mind is a stream of nonconscious and  conscious activity when we are awake, and  a stream of nonconscious activity when we are  asleep. It is characterised by a triad of thinking,  feeling, and choosing. When you think, you  will feel, and when you think and feel, you  will choose. These three aspects always work  together. 

Types of neuroplasticity 

There are around 100 trillion connections in  the brain. The word ‘neuro’ is derived from the  word ‘neuron.’ Neurons are made up of many  distinct cells specialised in transmitting what is  happening in and around your body, with your  brain serving as the command centre. 

Two kinds of neuroplasticity are frequently  discussed: Structural Neuroplasticity and  Functional Neuroplasticity. 

Structural Neuroplasticity: The ability of  the brain to modify its neural connections  is commonly characterised as structural  plasticity. Based on this sort of neuroplasticity,  new neurons are continually created and  incorporated into the central nervous system  throughout one’s life. 

Functional Neuroplasticity: This is related  to past activity (activity-dependent plasticity)  

to acquire memory or, as a result of neuron  dysfunction or injury (maladaptive plasticity),  to adjust for a pathological occurrence.The  brain’s adaptive mechanisms in young children  are more potent, allowing them to heal from  damage more effectively than most adults. In  children, four forms of neuroplasticity have  been observed: 

•Adaptive: Changes that occur as children  practise a particular skill, allowing the brain  to adapt to functional or anatomical changes  in the brain (such as injuries). 

•Impaired: Changes that arise as a result of  hereditary or acquired illnesses. 

•Excessive: The formation of novel,  inappropriate pathways can result in  impairment or diseases. 

•Plasticity that makes the brain sensitive to  damage: The formation of damaging neural  circuits that make injury more likely or more  severe. 

The brain being studied by neuroscientists wis a process in which the brain undergoes  adaptive structural and functional changes. It  is described as the nervous system’s capacity  to reorganise its structure, functions, or  connections in response to intrinsic (minds  led stimulants) or external stimuli, such as a  stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI).  The brain is an extremely complex neuroplastic  responder. This essentially means that each time  it is stimulated by your mind, it responds in  various ways including neurochemical, genetic,  and electromagnetic changes.  

Stages of neuroplasticity 

Neuroplasticity is a complex process and is  currently under study. Neuroplasticity has  historically been assumed to occur in three  stages. 

• The first 48 hours: Depending on the nature  of the injury (stroke), early damage leads to cell  death and the loss of specific cortical circuits  connected with the lost neurons. To preserve  function, the brain strives to use secondary  neural networks. 

• In the coming weeks: The cortical circuits  switch from inhibitory to excitatory, synaptic  plasticity, and new connections are formed. • Weeks to months later: The brain continues  reorganising itself via axonal regeneration. 

So, how does this affect us? 

The brain is an extremely complex neuroplastic  responder. This essentially means that each  time it is stimulated by your mind, it responds  in various ways including neurochemical,  genetic, and electromagnetic changes. This, in  turn, grows and changes structures in the brain,  building or wiring new physical thoughts. 

The brain is never the same because it changes  

with every experience you have, every moment  of every day. In sum: Your mind is how you,  uniquely, experience life. It is responsible for  how you think, feel, and choose. And your  physical brain merely responds to these unique  experiences. 

Significance of neuroplasticity in therapy When we learn something new, our neurons form  new connections. To adapt to new situations, we  rewire our brains. This happens continuously,  and it has many benefits in medical therapy. 

• As we learn new things, like a new song or  playing a new instrument, we form new brain  pathways. We create the potential to connect  neurons within the brain by activating the  neuroplastic mechanism. 

• Deep brain stimulation and non-invasive  brain stimulation. Something we do in  meditation.  

• A greater knowledge of the processes driving  neuroplasticity following brain injury or nerve  lesion might aim to improve the patient’s  quality of life. 

• Recovery from brain strokes, brain cancer,  Brain power 57

and memory loss are all related to the brain’s  neuroplastic behaviour. 

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD),  attention deficit hyperactivity disorder  (ADHD), and autism can be managed by  applying the principles of neuroplasticity. 

• According to research, the brains of people  suffering from depression have issues with  plasticity. Lifestyle modifications (healthy diet,  physical activity, and enough sleep), according  to experts, may increase neuroplasticity.  Furthermore, several antidepressants are  thought to be effective because they improve  neuroplasticity. 

Ways to rewire your brain using neuroplasticity Let us take a look at some ways by which you  can get the benefits of neuroplasticity. • Travelling exposes your brain to novel stimuli  and situations, forming new neural connections  and activity. 

•Intermittent fasting boosts neuron  proliferation, improves general cognitive  performance, and lowers the risk of  neurodegenerative illness. 

•Learning to play a musical instrument may 

strengthen the connection between brain  areas and aid in the formation of new neural  networks. 

•Memory training with mnemonic devices  can improve connection in the prefrontal and  parietal networks and prevent some age-related  memory decline 

•Yoga, mild to moderate regular exercise,  and challenging brain activities like  crosswords or sudoku help develop new brain  pathways and improve neuron connection. 

•Reading fiction boosts and improves brain  connections. 

•Vocabulary expansion engages the visual  and auditory processes and memory processing. •Creating art improves brain connections  during rest. 

•Dancing lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s  disease and improves cerebral connections. •Sleeping promotes learning retention by  enabling the creation of dendritic spines,  which connect neurons and aid in transferring  information between cells. 

Is neuroplasticity possible at any age? Scientists have long known that the brain  is robust, thanks mainly to neuroplasticity,  which allows it to remodel itself and change  connections. Previously, experts believed  that neuroplasticity ceased after childhood.  According to new studies, it persists even as we  age. 

Is it possible to learn without neuroplasticity? The brain is constantly rebuilding and altering  its connections due to neuroplasticity. It can  restructure its structure as well as how it works.  This encompasses learning, development, and  memory formation. Neuroplasticity is a key  element when it comes to learning. 

What effect does neuroplasticity have on  

Travelling gives a boost to your brain cells behaviour? 58 LifePositive | OCTOBER 2023

Making or breaking a habit includes  neuroplastic brain change. People desire  something because their plastic brains have  been tuned to and crave the substance or  experience. Thus, neuroplasticity has a great  effect on behaviour. 

What would happen if neuroplasticity did not  exist? 

Neuroplasticity, also known as brain plasticity,  is the brain’s ability to change its connections  or rewire itself. Any brain, not only the human  brain, would be unable to develop from infancy  to adulthood or heal from brain damage without  this capacity. 

Yoga and neuroplasticity 

Patanjali uses the term Chitta as an entity  which encompasses much more than what the  depth psychologists consider as ‘unconscious’  or ‘subconscious’ and ‘conscious ego’ and  also acts as a bridge between all these and the  ‘superconscious core,’ the Purusha. Purusha  is the master of Chitta and is never changing.  Chitta vrittis are the waves or the angularities  occurring in the Chitta just like waves in a  lake. These disturbances or the waves bring  to existence the conscious world as we see it.  Thinking, feeling, memory, and behaviour are  all different vrittis. Patanjali further describes  

various states of Chitta, called Chitta Bhumis,  which can be equated with various mental  states. The following are the five states or Chitta  Bhumis: 

• Kshipta  

• Mudha  

• Viskhipta  

• Ekagra  

• Niruddha 

It is a hierarchy, and attaining a state of  Niruddha is essential to experience the state  of super consciousness. Most of us, ordinary  people, remain in the first three states,  which only increases the bondage with the  phenomenal world, and this shifting of stages  is the best example of neuroplasticity. 

Yoga was worked out to be the solution to this  dichotomy of one’s reality versus hundreds of  realities that our mind creates, the underlying  rule being “100 illusions that are contrary to  one truth will have to lose and that sense of loss  is the cause of misery.” 

Yoga started as a solution and developed into  several full-fledged schools. The Buddha said  there would be 1,000 ways to the goal, but I  travelled one road, so I can talk best of that  road.

Satish Dhar is masters in economics and psychology from IIFT B School.  He was a global commodity trader for 13 years and headed one of the largests  farmers group in medicinal and aromatics farming. His subject of interest is  alternative healing using mind and essential oils.