Is your brain changing for the better?

...The brain can be improved so that we learn and perceive with greater precision, speed, and retention. ... we can also change the very structure of the brain itself and increase its capacity to learn. Unlike a computer, the brain is constantly adapting itself. (Doidge 48)

It’s funny how our preconceived notions of our own intelligence, (whether we think we are smart or not), or how easily we learn, or how well we remember facts and figures can colour our perception of our own intellect.

Our brain is not fixed in time though, rather, it is a living organism that changes – it grows and shrinks over time. What we do and think can influence how our brain changes. Recent research like that recounted in Dr Norman Doidge’s book, “The Brain That Changes Itself”, demonstrates that we can change the structure of our brains quite significantly. Doidge notes that:

..thinking, learning, and acting can turn our genes on or off, thus shaping our brain anatomy and our behaviour.

In past years, there was much rhetoric about the need to study and work harder to improve our minds and while there would be few educators that would disagree with this, there is also a growing body of evidence which suggests that more active children and adults can improve many aspects of learning, memory and intellect.

Because it is a 'use it or lose it' brain, when we develop a map area [in the brain], we long to keep it activated. Just as our muscles become impatient for exercise if we've been sitting all day...

Doidge maintains that exercise is the only activity that is responsible for increasing the production, conductivity and connectivity of neurons in the brain. In simple terms, this means that we can influence our mental capacity and health through regular exercise.

There is a raft of research that shows the benefits of exercise and sport on reducing symptoms of depression, builds self-esteem and body image. According to Doidge:

As little as three hours a week of brisk walking has been shown to halt, and even reverse, the brain atrophy (shrinkage) that starts in a person’s forties, especially in the regions responsible for memory and higher cognition. Exercise increases the brain’s volume of gray matter (actual neurons) and white matter (connections between neurons).

Exercise stimulates the release of endorphins within approximately 30 minutes from the start of activity. According to M K McGovern, these endorphins tend to minimize the discomfort of exercise and are even associated with a feeling of euphoria. There is some uncertainty around the cause of this euphoria since it's not clear if endorphins are directly responsible for it, or if they just block pain and allow the pleasure associated with neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine to be more apparent. This aside, there is no denying that the ‘endorphin rush’ after vigorous exercise helps many of us feel better both mentally and physically. Despite the possible tiring effects of the physical effort, we usually end up feeling re-energised (quite the reverse of what logic might tell us).

Even improvement in memory can be attributed to exercise. As reported in the “New York Times”, a recent study conducted in Ireland on sedentary male college students resulted in improved memory after strenuous exercise.

First, the young men watched a rapid-fire lineup of photos with the faces and names of strangers. After a break, they tried to recall the names they had just seen as the photos again zipped across a computer screen. Afterward, half of the students rode a stationary bicycle, at an increasingly strenuous pace, until they were exhausted. The others sat quietly for 30 minutes. Then both groups took the brain-teaser test again. Notably, the exercised volunteers performed significantly better on the memory test than they had on their first try, while the volunteers who had rested did not improve.

Even in the elderly, improvements in health and mental acumen can be attributed directly to exercise. A number of studies recently completed on the elderly have shown that if people exercise about 30 minutes a day, three times a week that the probability of developing Alzheimer’s disease is significantly lowered, even in those people who are genetically predisposed to Alzheimer’s.

There are lessons in this research for all of us – the young and the old. Most people will benefit from increased physical activity in improved health and mental wellbeing. Doidge comments that the best defences against chronic stress are physical exercise, relaxation, self-empowerment, and cultivating social networks.