When people are asked how much control they have over the health of their heart, brain and teeth, most rank teeth first, then heart, then brain.
According to neuroscientist Sandra Bond Chapman, that order is reversed.
“The brain is more changeable than our teeth. We care for our teeth several times a day – if we cared for our brain that much, it would be phenomenal,” she says.
That capacity for change is neuroplasticity. “Neuroplasticity means that the brain’s systems – the neurons and the connections between them – are highly modifiable. And the way they are modified is by how we use the brain,” Dr Chapman explains.
“The old thinking was that the brain is fixed and set pretty much after adolescence, and nothing could be further from the truth. The brain changes moment by moment with everything people think, create and feel. Neuroplasticity just means it is changing, and it can change in good ways or bad ways.”
The brain’s constantly shifting network
Neurons are nerve cells. Electrical signals travel from neuron to neuron through a vast web of connections, allowing thoughts, memories and emotions. This network is huge and complex, with around 120 billion neurons.
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to form new pathways and reshape existing ones in response to changes in behaviour and environment. It is also what allows the brain to rewire after a stroke or other trauma that affects movement, speech or thinking.
Dr Chapman suggests picturing global air traffic networks. Flight paths, airports and hubs constantly adjust to weather and traffic. “Your brain has different hubs and different connection patterns,” she says. “Those connections can change and rewire and reconfigure based on how it is used.”
When a storm blocks one airport, planes are rerouted. The brain behaves in a similar way. “When part of the brain is not working as well, the brain has the capability to work around things and still get places–it just might take a little bit longer,” she says.
Dr Chapman studies how people can actively improve brain fitness. She notes that the brain can change on several levels in response to what it is asked to do.
“For instance, how different neurons communicate with each other–how fast the brain sends signals–can change,” she explains. “When someone is having trouble finding a thought or word, the brain’s speed is a little bit sluggish. If there has not been enough sleep, the speed of connectivity across the networks slows down, and those changes are felt quickly the next morning.”
That is neuroplasticity in action. The brain’s performance shifting in real time as a result of daily habits.
Chemistry that responds to how the brain is used
It is not just wiring that adapts. Neurochemicals do too. “The signals are sent through chemicals called neurotransmitters, and those change by how you use your brain,” Dr Chapman says. “People are changing the neural chemistry of the brain by how they use it or do not use it.”
Advances in brain imaging mean researchers can now track function as well as structure. “In the past, it was only possible to look at how the structure of the brain changes, and structure changes much more slowly,” she says. “Now science can see how brain function changes as well.”
Patterns such as constant multitasking, ongoing distractions, chronic anger or long-term sleep deprivation show up clearly. “If you are multitasking and have constant distractions, or are sleep deprived or chronically angry, these are things that can be literally toxic to the connections and the neurotransmitters,” Dr Chapman notes.
That, too, is neuroplasticity. The brain reshaping itself in response to everyday choices, for better or for worse.
Wellness for your mind
Brain science keeps moving fast, but current research already shows how everyday habits can shape neuroplasticity. Chronic stress has been linked with negative changes in the brain, while a healthy diet, regular exercise and good sleep habits tend to have a positive effect.
Dr Chapman sees multitasking as especially unhelpful for brain health. “When you’re multitasking, you’re fraying the connectivity,” she says. The brain is designed to focus on one thing at a time and, when you juggle tasks, you are asking it to constantly toggle between them instead of finishing one clearly.
Constant distraction has a similar effect. Many people now struggle to focus for more than a few minutes at a time. “That’s the average time people can attend to a task now, because of how we use technology,” Dr Chapman says. In the BrainHealth Project training, she and her team encourage people to protect blocks of focus for at least 20 minutes, or up to 45 minutes for work that needs deeper, more innovative thinking. It can feel uncomfortable at first because “we’ve trained our brains to be distracted,” she says, but building this skill helps strengthen pathways in the frontal lobe network.
A key idea in the BrainHealth Project is what Dr Chapman calls “big idea thinking”. This style of thinking helps the frontal lobes grow stronger and more efficient over time. Instead of skimming huge amounts of information, big idea thinking means deliberately taking in less and doing more with it. “What are the themes? What is the essence? How do I apply it?” she says. Working in this way makes thinking more robust, deepens understanding and improves memory. “It actually changes your brain’s network in very dramatic ways.”
There is still a lot to learn about the brain, but researchers already know that small daily habits can improve how it functions. Simple steps that reduce stress, protect focus and support physical health all feed into better brain health. “The brain is the most complex organ,” says Dr Chapman, “but it’s simple, simple steps that change it every single day.”
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