The brain, that complex organ that is located between our ears, continues to pose a thousand and one questions today . It works 24 hours a day, 365 days a year without a break, it participates in all the tasks of the body. Even when we are apparently not doing anything, he is still busy at work, connecting areas of the brain and thoughts, in what is known as a network of rest. And no, we do not use only 10% of it but 100% .
We spoke with the neurologist and neuroscientist Facundo Manes , author together with Mateo Niro of the book Being Human. Everything you need to know about the brain (Paidós) about neuroplasticity , the exciting ability of the brain to adapt and modify itself to the changes that are presented to it . “The brain has the ability to generate connections and to transform itself permanently with experience, with learning and with what we live,” Manes tells us. Neuroplasticity includes both the creation of new neural connections and the formation of new neurons. It comes to ignore the dogma that existed a few years ago according to which it was believed that the nervous system was a rigid and immovable structure, that is, that we were born with a certain number of neurons connected to each other in a specific way and thus we remained until To die.
The brain is so plastic and adapts so wonderfully to change that it can change until the day we die . In fact, it has been shown that an adult brain is capable of even creating neurons. To illustrate this phenomenon, Manes tells us about the experiment carried out by researcher Fernando Nottebohm with canaries. What Nottebohm did was injure the area of the brain used for singing. And what happened was that, a year later, the birds sang again. “That was one of the first evidences that there is neuronal regeneration in the adult brain. Today we know that, in some parts of the adult brain, not all, there is neuronal regeneration ”. And not only are new populations of neurons generated, but these new neurons have the ability to successfully integrate into existing circuits and be functional, or what is the same, copy the behavior of neighboring neurons and act like them. .
And what happens if we don’t use certain neural connections? Do we lose them? “Clearly there are circuits that if not used have less vitality than those we use more frequently or those that underlie the functions we use more frequently,” the neurologist explains. And he gives us the example of memory: “Memory is not in a small box in the brain, it is in neural circuits and if one does not remember an experience many times, perhaps that circuit does not have sufficient consolidation.”
When we talk about brain plasticity, we wonder if there are parts of the brain that increase or decrease depending on whether they are used more or less. Manes, again, illustrates the point with an experiment that was done in 2000 with London taxi drivers. Let’s put ourselves in context. To be a taxi driver in London you have to pass a demanding test known as The Knowledge, which consists of memorizing the map of the city. Aspiring to drive the famous black cars that travel through the city of the Thames have to memorize about 25,000 streets and what is on them. It does not matter that we already have GPS, the test must be passed. Now let’s get back to the experiment. The researcher Eleonor Maguire selected London taxi drivers and people who were dedicated to other things and gave them an MRI. The result was that the area of visuospatial memory, the one that allows us to remember the position of objects in space, was more developed in taxi drivers than in those who had another trade or profession. “This does not mean that that area gets bigger in macroscopic terms. If one analyzes the brain in detail, what happens is that there is a greater extension of neural circuits ”.
The plasticity of the brain can reach unsuspected limits and to show what comes next. “If you have an injury, for example, on the left side, which has to do with language, caused by a stroke or head trauma, there is evidence that other areas of the brain can compensate for that function of that area that she’s injured, ”Manes explains.
Aging and the brain
“I don’t necessarily see aging as a negative thing. Aging is a challenge, but it is also an opportunity ”, the neurologist answers forcefully when we ask him if the passage of time always works against us. As a general rule, between the ages of 50 and 60 is when people notice cognitive changes. However, not all of our brain functions suffer in the same way over time.
A report by the Global Council on Brain Health, an international council of scientists, health professionals, academics and public policy experts convened by the American foundation AARP and the English Age UK, of which Manes was a member, came to disprove certain erroneous beliefs about the the way our brain develops. Among these myths was that old age is synonymous with dementia. “Although age is one of the main risk factors for suffering from dementia, it is disorders that respond to a multifactorial origin. It is essential to know how to differentiate between normal aging and the symptoms of dementia ”, says the neurologist in his new book. And he continues: “In this same direction, it is often thought that older people are condemned to have memory problems. On this issue, it is necessary to emphasize that memory problems are frequently confused with inattention. It should also be emphasized that there are people with greater ease to remember names, dates and events than others ”.
“Many people tell me, Facundo, can I learn until the last day? And I tell them, no, you must learn until the last day because education protects the brain . I see aging not as a downward slope but something that can increase some cognitive abilities such as reflection, wisdom, strategy. Understood in this way, aging is an opportunity ”, he tells us.
It is this learning that Manes talks about one of the keys to protect our brain from what is to come. And the sooner you start, the better, because we will contribute to improving our cognitive reserve, that is, those resources that each of us have and that concern the adaptability of cognitive processes such as memory and attention. The expert encourages us to undertake new routines as they pose a powerful challenge for the brain. “It is important to keep the mind active, which is achieved by maintaining a wide range of interests, hobbies and seeking activities that are stimulating for our brain such as learning a language, a musical instrument or new disciplines,” he explains in his book.
As for typical brain games that promise to exercise the brain, the Global Council on Brain Health report argues that there is no clear evidence that improving at these games will improve people’s overall functioning in everyday life. As Manes explains, what happens is that the more we play, the better we can play that particular game. For the expert, the expectations about its benefits are often exaggerated.
“Other factors identified as potentially protective in middle age and that may help maintain a fit brain and decrease the risk of cognitive decline in adult life are: regular physical activity , maintaining a good sleep pattern, managing stress, have an active social life and eat a healthy diet. Also, education and having a purpose in life, along with controlling blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose level, folic acid, vitamin B12 and weight. Likewise, it is vital not to smoke or have habits that are harmful to health, ”he writes in Ser Humans .
We already have the recipe to have a brain as fit as possible. Putting it into practice is in our hands.
