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EDUCATION: LEARNING :
NEUROSCIENCE :
PSYCHOLOGY: BRAIN: STUDIES AND RESEARCH :
ADULTS :
PSYCHOLOGY: MENTAL ABILITY:
The Elastic Brain
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The Elastic Brain
by Rebecca Boyle
A childs brain can master anything from language to music. Can
neuroscience extend that genius across the lifespan?
Aeon
http://aeon.co/magazine/psychology/
can-i-make-my-brain-as-plastic-as-a-childs/
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A shorter URL for the above link:
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http://tinyurl.com/ldbzloa
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Five years ago, in a new city and in search of a new hobby, I decided to
try playing a musical instrument for the first time. I had never learned
to read music; in my grade school, the optional orchestra class was
offered at the same time as the optional robotics class, and I chose the
latter. Understanding nothing about chords or music theory, I settled on
the relatively simple mountain dulcimer, a three-stringed lap instrument
from Appalachia.
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I was proud of how quickly I picked it up. I could replicate many of the
old-time fiddle tunes, Civil War ballads and Ozark folk songs my
instructor played during demonstrations, and I learned to discern notes by
ear. I was hardly a virtuoso, however, and after a few months I hit a
plateau. I could hear how they were supposed to sound, but challenging,
faster-tempo songs remained out of my grasp. Frustrated, I distinctly
remember thinking: If only Id learned music as a kid, I might have been
great at this.
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I havent played my dulcimer in several months, but the day might be coming
when I could actually learn to play as I would had I learned during
childhood. I might be able to swallow a pill that restores my brain to a
more flexible, receptive state. This new, more childlike brain rendered
literally more plastic because of its ability to forge many more
connections between neurons would enable me to learn far more readily
each time I practised a tune.
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Early childhood is characterised by a series of critical periods
circumscribed times when the brain opens up and changes profoundly in
response to input from the environment as new skills are learned. During
these times, the rapidly-morphing brain an organ so malleable that
neuroscientists call it plastic' sculpts itself into the perfect vehicle
for navigating the world. During one critical period, for instance,
children master specific visual skills. During another critical period,
they master emotional control, and during another, language. When the
brain opens up and becomes plastic too early or too late, circuits are
laid down incorrectly and disorders like autism or schizophrenia may
result, forever altering how we process the world. At no other point in
our lives are we more primed to receive new information and put it to use
than during the critical periods of early childhood.
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snip
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Hensch has since begun studying drugs that boost plasticity in the human
brain. One possibility is the dementia drug donepezil, sold as Aricept,
which promotes plasticity by boosting levels of the neurotransmitter
acetylcholine. In a clinical trial at Boston Childrens Hospital, Hensch is
giving the drug to children older than 10 who have lazy eye in hopes that
extended plasticity will give the brain a chance to rewire correctly. I
think we are getting closer to the day that pills might be available to do
this, Hensch says. Its not magic.
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The complete article may be read at the URL above.
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Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
[log in to unmask]
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