The Good, the Bad, and the Good Choices That Change the Brain

"Research has long confirmed that brain plasticity is a universal truth. This, of course, is good news. However, this good news about the brain's ability to change itself, according to research, takes place with an associated "sting in the tail." In research dealing with brain plasticity, Medina (2008) examined the research of Kandel (1999, 2006). Eric Kandel was known for his research dealing with the biological basis of learning and memory. This research earned Kandel the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2000."

"Further to the research of Kandel, Medina reported on how Kandel found that even the smallest amount of information causes "the physical alteration of the structure of the neurons participating in the [learning] process." As a result of this finding, Medina reported that the neurological implication of this research by Kandel informed that "the brain is constantly rewiring itself" in response to all forms of internal and external input."

""the brain is constantly rewiring itself" in response to all forms of internal and external input. Furthermore, regarding visually observable neurological physical changes, Medina noted that Kandel also found that during this learning and rewiring process, "[a]s neurons learn, they swell, and split." These splitting neurons then "break connections in one spot, glide over to a nearby region, and form connections with their new neighbors, which then strengthen and further advance neurologicalpotential."

Eric Kandel discovered that neurons and their connections physically change in response to learning, demonstrating a biological basis for memory and learning. Even minimal information produces physical alterations in the structure of participating neurons. The brain continuously rewires itself in response to internal and external input, with neurons actively forming and strengthening new connections. During learning, some neurons swell and split, break existing connections, migrate to nearby regions, and establish new synapses that strengthen over time. Other neurons remain in place, indicating that plasticity involves both migratory connection formation and stable, stay-in-place elements within neural networks.

Read at Psychology Today