Why you're not stuck with the brain you're born with - BBC REEL

We now understand that our brains are highly dynamic, that they're changing all the time. And I always tell my students that this change occurs from the womb to the tomb. So it makes us more accountable for our lives and our lifestyle day-to-day, what we're doing with our brains. We should choose very wisely what those behaviors are so that we're shaping that brain to be the brain that we want to have at the end of the day. So that's why it's my most favorite thing to say is, you know, after this your brain will not be the same, you've changed it. We are born with a lot of neurons in the nerve cells, like 86 billion we have in our brains. But just like it's not helpful to have a big pile of bricks, 86 billion bricks, it's not until you start to build them and make structures out of those bricks that they become more functional, efficient, and adaptive. So it's our responsibility through training, through education, to help to organize and build neural circuits that are healthy and functional. The key concept to remember is that in terms of brain change, in terms of neuroplasticity, the single most important driver of that is your behavior. An engaging lifestyle is important for neuroplasticity. That may be getting out of our comfort zones, learning something new. We've heard during the pandemic that people are baking bread or learning a new language or learning to play a new instrument. That's always great for our brains, so it shouldn't take a pandemic to do that. Today, we define prosperity being wealthy or we think it's great to be able to pay people to do things and be more automated and maybe just sit in our chair and press buttons. But I don't think that's the way our brains define prosperity. The richest scenario is a scenario in which the brain is an active player. Exercise, I can't beat that drum enough. There's a lot of evidence now that people who habitually exercise have healthier brains into adulthood. They're better able to learn. You're better able to recall information. So when we engage in an experience, we're using certain areas of our brains. And if they are used in association frequently, they will build what we call neural networks. And so you become more proficient and more efficient with these behaviors. Mentally rehearsing things can really help. Elite athletes do this all the time. They'll run through their whole gymnastics routine, for example, in their brain. And it's a really neat tool because you think about it from an elite athlete standpoint, but also then think about it maybe from a patient who's had a stroke. It might not be safe for that patient to get up and walk by themselves, but they certainly can mentally practice walking and still see a benefit from that rehearsal. It turns out when you have chronic pain, the brain starts to over-interpret any kind of signal of a sensation. So even a very light touch can be perceived as painful, even though it's not causing tissue damage. And as you lessen that over-sensitivity, the back pain will also start to get better. I do recommend writing down recordings so that you can see fluctuations and the data. And go, oh my goodness, I changed this response and then this got better. Our brain is an energy hog. It only occupies about 2% of our body weight, but it demands about 20% of our body's energy. If we're chronically stressed, resources that would go to creating new neural circuits or even immune functions are going to go to, how am I going to escape this stressor? So we may be mindful about how much mental energy we're directing to that, and also having effective coping strategies. I might need a lot more practice than you if we're both going to learn to juggle. People change really differently, and we really need to understand why those differences occur. Some of it may be genetic. Our brains do change with age. Young learners are more neuroplastic. They seem to be faster and more able. And in part it may be because they have this brain that hasn't changed a lot yet. It's a very kind of blank slate. Our capacity, even though it's not as good as it was, it's still really remarkable. And it's really important for our brain health that you continue to try to learn. You continue pushing on the boundaries of your learning. There have been several studies, for example, that suggest that people who routinely do the crossword and have done so their whole life, they have lower rates of dementia. I've introduced this term behavior-ceuticals in the sense that behavior, planning and activities, hobbies, exercise, being around friends, that all changes our neurochemistry as well. When you expose yourself to something new, you learn a new skill, and you're forcing your brain to become neuroplastic. And just by that effort, you're making it healthier.