Introduction 

What if your brain can change its structure just by practising the piano, learning a new language, meditating or recalling a scientific fact? Well, that's neither a theory nor a fantasy anymore, but neuroplasticity: the brain's ability to rearrange connections between its neurons and alter its structure throughout the course of life. 

Scales of Neuroplasticity 

As I learned during my IB Psychology HL course, neuroplasticity occurs at two main scales, the smallest being synaptic plasticity and the largest being cortical remapping. In the form of synaptic plasticity, a neuron (nerve cell) forms new synaptic connections and breaks up old, unwanted ones. It is present in everyone, everywhere, all the time. Cortical remapping occurs when a brain area X assumes the functions of a brain area Y (for instance, due to injury). Therefore, it can be concluded that synaptic plasticity depends on the activity of neurons. If two nearby neurons are activated at the same time, a synaptic connection between them may gradually form. Similarly, if two neurons are rarely activated together, the existing connection may gradually fall apart, a phenomenon referred to as synaptic pruning yet not fully understood. 

Does it Concern Us? 

Why should we care about neuroplasticity though? Clearly, neuroplasticity is not only fascinating, it's practical. The brain is a dynamic structure – reshaping itself, growing, constantly evolving. Not only can the brain determine and change behaviour, but behaviour and environment can influence and change the brain. Acquiring a language, playing an instrument, adapting your daily routine to new challenges or even changing your thinking patterns are aspects where neuroplasticity plays a huge role. Moreover, it's link to mental health is undoubtful. Take me, for example. I play the mandolin, which requires a surprising amount of motor control where I must use my left pinkie finger to reach far notes, however I faced serious trouble doing so. By starting to use my pinkie finger in typing it became second nature in just a couple of weeks! It was my brain screaming ''It's all in your head!!''. 

Structural Impact 

In a study conducted recently on London taxi drivers, it was found that their posterior hippocampus (a brain structure responsible for transfer of short-term memory to long-term memory, involved in spatial navigation) was significantly larger than that of non-taxi drivers (Maguire, 2000). London taxi drivers have to memorise an incredibly complex map of the city to navigate freely on the streets, without utilising technology. The Maguire study proved that with constant learning and mental effort, even though a leopard can't change its spots, the brain can reshape itself! This can be tied up to individual improvement and self-growth. Try meditation! It has been suggested that the practice of meditation is associated to neuroplasticity phenomena, reducing age-related brain degeneration and improving cognitive functions. More specifically, the effects of meditation are correlated to improvements in attention, working memory, spatial abilities and long-term memory (Lardone et al., 2018), a view supported by various neuroimaging studies. 

Neuroplasticity and Mental Health 

Mental learning and training have been demonstrated to modulate the gray and white matter (Chapman et al. 2015; Saleem and Samudrala 2017; Zatorre et al. 2012), improving overall emotional resilience and psychological health. Although the efforts to harness neuroplasticity's healing and recovering powers are still in the beginning stages, there is promising evidence that the dynamic qualities of the brain may play a pivotal role in how one copes with stress and mental illness (Kays et al., 2012). Studies show that chronic stress and mental disorders such as depression are associated with neuroplasticity impairments, such as neuronal atrophy (loss of neurons and connections between them) and synaptic loss in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and hippocampus (Price & Duman, 2020), hence treatments and interventions of reversing these processes are being discussed, such as antidepressants that elevate neurotrophic factors to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). The promising study of Shpaner et al. (2014) showcased changes in intrinsic brain connectivity following cognitive behavioural therapy in participants suffering chronic pain, who had persistent changes in the central nervous system. These findings underscore neuroplasticity's therapeutic potential for changes in physical and mental health.

Brain injuries 

What about brain injuries, you might subsequently ask. Let me surprise you: the brain heals and recovers by neuroplasticity, even after a life-altering condition! Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroanatomist, had suffered from a stroke, which caused her inability to speak, comprehend language and remember basic aspects of her life or how to function in the world surrounding her. After experiencing the effects a stroke had on her firsthand, she managed to eventually overcome all the difficulties and restore her lost abilities. In her famous TED Talk, she analyses and explains neuroplasticity in her recovering journey (Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight | TED Talk). That gives hope to many patients – and us. Another significant figure who's journey stands as a lighthouse of hope for many, is Elena Viktorovna Berezhnaya, a Russian competitive figure skater. During practice, her former dance partner Oleg hit her with a skate on the head, slicing into her skull. No one believed she would be able to skate again, but after months of recovery not only did she skate, but the pair (she and Anton Sikharulidze) won the gold medal! Their skating routine was so world-class and clean, that the judges had no choice but to award two gold medals: both to them and to the Canadian pair at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City (Britannica, 2025). Currently innovative approaches and therapies to enhance neuroplasticity and promote recovery in patients with neurological disorders are taking place (Kumar et al., 2023). Examples include constraint-induced movement therapy, repetitive task training, and virtual reality and gamification for motor and cognitive recovery (Zotey et al., 2023). 

Boosting Neuroplasticity and Conclusion 

Neuroplasticity can be boosted through various means. An inquisitive mind striving towards growth and learning is the most profound way, however other factors such as regulating stress and emotions, getting quality sleep, practising mindfulness and meditation, limiting distractions and eating nutritious food play a major role. Furthermore, studies have advocated physical exercise's positive impact, such as the study of Brett Froeliger, Eric L. Garland and F. Joseph McClernon (2012), where yoga practitioners exhibited greater grey matter volume and fewer reported cognitive failures. Convergent evidence from both human and animal studies suggests that enhanced physical exercise facilitates neuroplasticity of certain brain structures and as a result cognitive functions as well as affective and behavioural responses (Henning Budde et al., 2016), highlighting a critical truth: our everyday choices shape the ways in which our brain shapes and adapts. Everything you see, read, feel and hear has a profound impact. Neuroplasticity is not an abstract concept confined to research papers and scientific articles, it is a call to action, a process sculpting our brains where the chisel is in our own hands. 

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