The Nature of Neuroplasticity

From a lecture by Hugh Darrow given at the Bern Institute of Medicine, 2013.

The term 'neuroplasiticity' literally means the flexibility of the brain to reorganize itself based on the result of experience. Two decades ago, the consensus among cognitive neuroscientists like yourselves was that lower brain and neocortical areas were unable to be changed after development - whereas structures such as memory could be actively altered in areas related to formation of recall.

In a series of cleverly designed experiments, Michael Merzenich proved that somatosensory and auditory sensations—touch and hearing, respectively—can, in fact, be modified through practice. This process of longterm potentiation was further explored in a series of studies in the mid-90s at Southern Illinois University—studies which clearly showed how memories could be enhanced by manipulating neuroplasticity.

Indeed, with the precise timing available to us in today's computers, we can clearly see that enhancement in learning can be applied for areas of the motor cortex, auditory cortex, somatosensory cortex, and hippocampus. Manipulation of neuroplasticity makes it clear that we, as a species, have been blessed with a brain that has an unparallel flexibility to incoporate neuroplasiticity augmentations.