Peak Ch. 2 Flashcards
brain adaptability and training
- There is a growing body of evidence that the structure and function of the brain change in response to mental training in the same way that muscles do
- If you practice something enough, your brain will repurpose neurons to help you with the task even if they already have another job to do
function of the hippocampus
engaged by spatial location
Maguire, 2000 London Taxi Drivers study method
used MRIs to look at the brains of 16 male London taxi drivers and compared them to the brains of 50 other males of similar ages who were not taxi drivers
Maguire, 2000 London Taxi Drivers study findings
She found that the posterior hippocampus was larger in taxi drivers than in other subjects and that the more time one had spent as a taxi driver, the larger the posterior hippocampus
Maguire London Taxi Drivers follow-up study
In a follow-up study, Maguire found that the posterior hippocampi of taxi drivers were significantly larger than bus drivers who spend their days driving around the same route
Maguire London Taxi Drivers prospective study
Maguire also conducted a prospective study and found that the posterior hippocampi of taxi drivers who had continued their training grew in size, but there was no change in size for the control group or for those who did not continue their training
brains of blind and deaf people
The brains of blind and deaf people “rewire” themselves to find new uses for the parts of the brain that are normally used for processing sight/hearing
what part of the brain to blind people use when they read in Braille?
the visual cortex
3-fingered Braille readers study
Three-fingered Braille readers experience higher sensitivity in the three fingers they use, but not in their other fingers
near-sighted patients study
A 2012 study found that near-sighted patients could read letters that were 60% smaller and read faster after 3 months of training 3 times per week
how does practice help with nearsightedness?
Blurry images result from an inability to see small details and difficulties detecting differences in contrast, which improving the image processing in the brain can help with
homeostasis
the tendency of a system to act in a way that maintains its stability
feedback mechanisms in the body
- The body is equipped with feedback mechanisms that maintain the status quo
- When you engage in sustained, vigorous physical activity, homeostatic mechanisms can no longer compensate and they activate different genes from the cells’ DNA, resulting in a change in the cell’s behaviour and the restoration of homeostasis
how do you keep a homeostatic change from reversing?
you keep pushing yourself
rat and homeostasis study
One study counted 112 genes that were turned on in response to a rat’s rapid increase in the use of a muscle in its rear legs, which eventually strengthened the rat’s muscles
how does the brain adapt to mental activities?
- In the case of mental activities, the brain rewires its networks to strengthen and weaken brain connections, add new connections, and get rid of old ones
- The brain can also increase the amount of myelin to allow nerve signals to travel more quickly
learning a new skill vs. practicing a skill that one has already learned
Learning a new skill is much more effective at triggering structural changes in the brain than continuing to practice a skill one has already learned
Taub, 1995 string instrument players study findings
- The area of the brain controlling the left hand was significantly larger in musicians than in nonmusicians
- The brain areas controlling the fingers had taken over a section of the brain that was normally devoted to the palm
- The earlier a musician had started to play their instrument, the greater the expansion
- There was no difference between the musicians and nonmusicians in the size of the region controlling the fingers of the right hand
Taub, 1995 string instrument players study takeaway
Taub’s study demonstrates that years of practice on a stringed instrument had caused the area of the brain that controls the fingers of the left hand to gradually expand, resulting in a greater ability to control those fingers
impact of regular training on the brain
Regular training leads to changes in the parts of the brain that are challenged by the training
brain differences in musicians
- The cerebellum is larger in musicians than in nonmusicians and the more hours of training a musician has had, the larger their cerebellum
- Musicians have more gray matter than nonmusicians do in various regions of the cortex, including the somatosensory region, the superior parietal region, and the premotor cortex
brain differences in mathmaticians
- The inferior parietal lobule has more gray matter in mathematicians than non-mathematicians, which is a function of the number of years they spent as a mathematician
- This was observed in Einstein
brain differences in pilots
The brains of pilots have more gray area in several areas including the left ventral premotor cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex, and the supplementary eye field, all of which are involved in the tasks needed to fly
brain differences in divers
Cortical thickness is higher in competitive divers than in non-divers
impact of age on brain malleability
Younger brains are more adaptable than older brains
bent-twig effect
training at early ages can shape the course of later development
example of the bent twig effect
adult pianists generally have more white matter in certain regions of the brain than nonmusicians, with the difference being attributed to the amount of time spent practicing in childhood. This leads to nerve signals being transmitted more quickly
downside to brain malleability
Often, people who have developed one skill to an extraordinary ability have regressed in another area
example of skill regression
The London taxi drivers performed worse on a standard test of spatial memory than the non-licensed drivers and the control condition
upkeep and brain malleability
The cognitive and physical changes caused by training require upkeep
example of upkeep and brain malleability
Retired London taxi drivers had less gray matter in their posterior hippocampus than active taxi drivers, though they still had more than the control condition
do most of us engage in deliberate practice?
no, most of us favour “good enough” and don’t push ourselves to become expert
the traditional approach and homeostasis
The traditional approach to learning doesn’t challenge homeostasis
importance of deliberate practice
Deliberate practice allows you to reach your potential and make things possible that weren’t possible before