Neuroplasticity and Neurogenesis
Neurogenesis refers to the process by which new neurons are generated in the brain. This can happen both during development and in adulthood. Neuroplasticity, on the other hand, is the brain’s ability to change and adapt in response to experience. This includes things like changes in synaptic connections and the growth of new neural pathways.
Of these two processes, which is more important? That depends on what you’re looking at. If you’re interested in learning and memory, then neuroplasticity is probably more important. On the other hand, if you’re interested in recovering from a brain injury, then neurogenesis might be more important.
In any case, it’s clear that both neurogenesis and neuroplasticity are important for how the brain works. And understanding the difference between them is a good first step in understanding how the brain works as a whole.
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s capacity to continue growing and evolving in response to life experiences. Plasticity is the capacity to be shaped, molded, or altered; neuroplasticity, then, is the ability for the brain to adapt or change over time, by creating new neurons and building new networks.
Historical Views of Brain Growth
Historically, scientists believed that the brain stopped growing after childhood. But current research shows that the brain is able to continue growing and changing throughout the lifespan, refining its architecture or shifting functions to different regions of the brain.
The importance of neuroplasticity can’t be overstated: It means that it is possible to change dysfunctional patterns of thinking and behaving and to develop new mindsets, new memories, new skills, and new abilities.
Neuroplasticity encompasses how nerve cells adapt to circumstances—to respond to stimulation by generating new tendrils of connection to other nerve cells, called synapses, and to respond to deprivation and excess stress by weakening connections.
Neuroplasticity underlies the capacity for learning and memory, and it enables mental and behavioral flexibility. Research has firmly established that the brain is a dynamic organ and can change its design throughout life, responding to experience by reorganizing connections—via so-called “wiring” and “rewiring.” Scientists sometimes refer to the process of neuroplasticity as structural remodeling of the brain.
Does neuroplasticity occur throughout life?
The brain changes most rapidly in childhood, but it’s now clear that the brain continues to develop throughout life. At any time, day-to-day behaviors can have measurable effects on brain structure and function. For example, a well-known study of British taxi drivers found that memorizing the city streets led to changes in the memory center, the hippocampus, and that those who had driven for longer had more expansion in the hippocampus. These changes in middle age highlight the role of neuroplasticity in learning across the lifespan.
This article is referenced in the new Living to 100 Club’s publication, Better, Longer, and Happier: A Guide to Aging with Purpose and Positivity. More information about this series can be found HERE.