Brain plasticity. The good. The bad. The good.
RAGNAR PURJE PhD
Neuroscientist. Author: RESPONSIBILITY THEORY?. Adjunct Senior Lecturer CQUniversity. Saxton Speakers. Contributor Psychology Today
There is good news, bad news and good news associated with the process of brain plasticity and brain rewiring.
Brain plasticity studies report that the brain responds neurologically to negative behaviour in the same way that it responds neurologically to positive behaviour.
The behaviour that is being presented is the neurological wiring that will take place. Therefore, brain plasticity is a double-edged sword.
Students, for example, who persistently present negative behaviours are rewiring their brain in a manner that supports their negative thinking and associated negative behaviours. However, there is good news in this as well.
This “negative” neurological wiring can be changed to “positive” neurological rewiring if the student in question begins to present and engage in positive behaviours.
These new positive behaviours and positive thinking procedures will begin to rewire the brain to create new neurological processes that will support the new positive thinking and the new positive behaviours and learning that is now taking place.
As neurological connections and pathways are being created and enhanced, through personally inspired and motivated thinking, and self-activated positive behaviours (such as replacing negative thoughts and behaviours with positive thoughts and behaviours), these new neurological connections will lead to the brain rewiring itself.
This rewiring will support these new positive thoughts and behaviours. As a result, all of these new neurological connections will not only begin to flourish, but all of this will help in the formulation of additional rewiring. In effect a positive cognitive, behavioural and neurological loop has been formed.
Therefore, according to Barbara Arrowsmith-Young, positive thinking and positive behaviours will become the dominant behaviour because these new positive behaviours are “no longer [being] hampered by the interference of a learning [or behavioural] dysfunction” that was previously presented.
What that means (in terms of the neurological “use it or lose it” principle), is that the previous presenting negative behaviours, which initiated the development of ‘negative neurological pathways,’ these negative neural pathways will start to be pruned, and then eventually removed by the brain. That is because the previous ‘negative’ neurological connections and pathways are no longer being supported by any presenting negative behaviours. As a result of this taking place, this will then lead to the development of what could be thought of as a new ‘positive behaviour’ brain map.
Brain Maps
Norman Doidge referring to a work undertaken by Michael Merzenich and others, found that “[w]hen it came to allocating brain-processing power” (p. 59) the brain allocated “[its] neurological resources” to those parts of the brain that were the most active. “Merzenich’s specialty is in improving people’s ability to” rewire and redesign “the brain by training specific processing areas, called brain maps, so that they do more mental work,” and this increased mental work will then provide cognitive and behavioural benefits.
A point to note here is that these “brain maps [are] governed by competition for precious resources and the use it or lose it.” Edward Taub and Gitendra Uswatte, refer to this use it or lose it phenomenon as ‘learned nonuse.’
Studies inform that the neurological pathways and neurological processes in the brain are either lost or gained in accordance with the type of cognitive or physical behaviour the individual presents.
This ‘learned nonuse’ phenomenon then leads to the situation where those neurological parts of the brain, that are not being used not only begin to atrophy, and also, because of this, those areas of the brain become much less efficient.
The brain is in a never-ending process of firing, rewiring, pruning, reducing, adding and reformulating connections. If, for example, we stop critical thinking processes, if we stop utilising our cognitive capacities, the research informs that those parts of the brain that are no longer engaged in this process will be pruned, and the brain map will be changed accordingly.
However, even if neurological pathways have been pruned and discarded, there is good news to indicate that new neural pathways can be formed to replace these pruned and discarded neurological pathways.
For new neurons, synapses, dendrites, axons and neurological pathways to be formed, these physiological processes will only take place if a conscious, deliberate self-motivated behaviour is initiated in the first place.
Powerfully and importantly, if this self-motivated behaviour does not take place, then neurological rewiring will not take place. And what that means, of course, according to this research, is that neurological rewiring, to reflect positive thinking and behaviours, will not take place either.
Changing the brain map from negative to positive
Changing neurologically developed negative behaviours to positive neurological behaviours is not easy; however, the important point to note here is that it is possible.
For change to be possible, the student must make a conscious, deliberate and self-motivated decision to change their thinking and behaviour from negative to positive. This is all about responsibility and choice.
As Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, writes: “We are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime.”
About
I hold the position of Adjunct Lecturer School of Education and the Arts at Central Queensland University Australia.
I have a PhD in cognitive neuroscience, which was undertaken at Central Queensland University Australia, under the supervision of Professor Ken Purnell. My thesis focussed on the success of my pioneering complex neuroplasticity focussed acquired brain injury rehabilitation therapy.
The therapy is now referred to as CBBMMT (Complex Brain-Based Multi-Movement Therapy). My thesis has also added two new descriptors into the lexicon of human biology; these are neurofluidity and hólos.
Neurofluidity are the neurological processes that lead to the condition of brain plasticity. Hólos is a descriptor which, perhaps for the first time (to the best of my research and understanding), provides a category which unifies the brain andthe body with a single word. Hólos derives from the Greek: ?λο? ? ? ólos. The English word holistic is derived from hólos. Holistic and hólos offer the same classification. Holistic and hólos incorporate the concept of holism.
I am the developer and author of Responsibility Theory?, which is an applied immersive brain-based systematic self-talk sequence learning neuroeducation program.
The program utilises the brain’s neuroplasticity potential that empowers and transforms the lives of individuals as they learn how to cognitively and intellectually enhance their potential by and through the process and the application of the ten powerful brain-base precepts of Responsibility Theory which helps the individual to reflectively pause and purposefully focus, which helps the individual to advance their conscious intellectual potential.
The aim of this process is, with self-directed conscious determination to intrinsically action positive constructive choices, endeavours and behaviors which leads to personal and associated affirmative social outcomes
The literature and research in neuroscience and brain plasticity informs: “Everyday thought, especially when used in a deliberate and determined, consciously focussed, self-motivating immersive systematic self-talk sequence learning process, that this immersive methodical conscious sequence learning action, will, fire and rewire neurological connections.
Responsibility Theory? is suitable as a presentation for primary and secondary schools, as well as for colleges, corporations, organisation or any community or social collective that is genuinely interested in advancing personal and social wellbeing; by constructively and systematically teaching and assisting individuals, groups, or larger social collectives how to constructively deal with risky and negative personal lifestyle choices, and also knowing how to successfully and assertively deal with all forms of negative third-party or even negative peer group influences.
I am the initiator of NeuroNumeracy?, an intensive self-motivating and transformative neuroscience brain-based numeracy learning program for children, the purpose of which is to enhance their self-belief and their skills, knowledge and understanding of the four operations in mathematics.
In addition to my PhD I have completed three Master of Education degrees (one in Education; one in Guidance and Counselling; and one in Leadership and Management). I have also completed two Bachelor degrees (Physical Education and Psychology) and five Post-Graduate awards (Education; Sports Science; Exercise and the Sports Sciences; Health Counselling; and Communication Studies).
I have presented Responsibility Theory? at international and national Australian Conferences. The HICE (Hawaiian International Conference on Education) 2018. Edu-TECH 2018 FutureSchools Conference (Melbourne) and the Edu-TECH 2018 Sydney Conference. I presented at the 2019 IAFOR International Conference on Education – Hawaii (IICE Hawaii); the 2019 HICE Conference in Hawaii; the 2019 FutureSchools Conference in Melbourne.
I am a daily traditional Goju Karate martial arts practitioner, of many decades, and a former sports karate Australian champion. “Every day one kata.”