Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

The brain.  It is the center of our nervous system. It is filled with billions of mysterious nerve cells with a mind-boggling complexity of networks. In the past, it was once thought that our brain did not develop after reaching its full size around your early 20s.  However, we now know this is not true, to add to the complexity, your brain has plasticity, or a capacity to change. Not only can you exercise your body to be physically fit, but you can (and should) exercise your brain to be mentally fit as well. It is as simple as learning something new. Whether you are a child learning a new language, or an adult learning a new instrument, your brain still develops and changes its neural pathways in response to the new skill learned.

It is well accepted that a child’s brain is still growing, and changing throughout development, but can it be that an adult can restructure their brain as well? In the article “Old Dogs, New Tricks: Tools Reveal Brain Changes in Adults," Alex Shelgel, started an experiment which uses Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) to measure the changes in white matter in the brain.White matter is the tissue that is responsible for the major pathways in the brain and changes which occur as a result (Shown in picture below) This demonstrate how one can “teach old dogs new tricks.”  In this experiment, adult students were enrolled in 9-month Mandarin classes. Throughout this long-term process, the white matter was monitored. Results demonstrate a structural change in white matter in response to learning new language skills.

Gary Marcus, in his book Guitar Zero, mentions this phenomenon as well, however this time using music as the skill. Marcus , himself, begins a journey to learn the guitar. Throughout the book Marcus discuses the views of many people such as: musicians, teachers, and scientists. One example in the book, relating specifically to the article “Old Dogs New Tricks: Tools Reveal Brain Changes in Adults” was the story of Steven Mithen. Mithen, an archaeologist, began taking singing lessons later on in his adult life. He then had structural a functional MRI image reveal the change in brain structure. This can also be said for anyone learning other new skills such as a golf or chess.

Not only does your brain structure change as a result of learning a new skill, your brain structure can significantly change as a result of a loss in senses. The change in neural connections and communication of the white matter is present in those humans who go blind or deaf just as a structural change is reaveled in learning a new language. However in this case, as mentioned in Marcus’s book, blind/deaf individuals restructure their neural connections in a way that strengthens the sense they have left. For example, Marcus met a congenitally blind student, Richard who would be able to play songs on the guitar just by listening and feeling for the right notes.

So whether you learn to play the Guitar, or learn Mandarin,  changes in your white matter, and in turn changes in your neural connections are observed. These structural changes are a positive impact on your brain and helps increase brain plasticity. So, what are you waiting for? Go out, and learn something new!

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/250671.php