Neurogenesis & Neuroplasticity
-Shresta Yasarapu
Over centuries, science has shown us that the brain is responsible for all of the cognitive functions in our body. It controls and regulates every process in our body: memory, thought process, breathing, motor and gross skills etc. This all happens on a broad horizon but what about the latent processes that also play an equal role in determining the wellbeing of our mind, body and soul.
Our mind plays an important role in determining how we function. There are a lot of things that we know consciously however letting ourselves know it subconsciously is a difficult thing to do. When we have panic attacks or when our anxiety hits us, we know to an extent that it’s just our mind playing with us yet we feel uneasy, experience palpitations and get dizzy. It just seems like a very easy thing- letting our subconscious know that what we assume is not necessarily true yet that’s so far probably the most difficult task any human can do.
In the past, several neuroscience breakthroughs paved the way to discovery of Neural Plasticity. We were always told that as we age we lose good health. In terms of the brain, we were ALWAYS told we lose a few aged dead brain cells that can not be retrieved back. New advancements in research proved this wrong. Studies and the groundbreaking discovery of Neurogenesis has shown that the brain has the ability to form and develop new neurons and brain cells in the brain even in old age. Neurogenesis is a process through which the stem cells of the neurons present in the hippocampus region divide and combine into new neurons, adapting to different environments. A lot of intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect this neurogenesis process such as: Brain injury, diet, stress and aging etc. Diet including high fat or high sugar negatively affects the process and leads to rise of new neurodegenerative diseases such as: Alzheimer's, Dementia, Parkinson's disease and Multiple system atrophy.
Another breakthrough in the field of neuroscience was Neuroplasticity. We often believed we were wired and designed in a certain way and that this design makes us who we are and explains why we act the way we do but under negative circumstances it is inaccurate. Psychology students would have learnt in chapter 4 that development is highly plastic i.e it is modifiable, skills and abilities can be imbibed or left that leads to plasticity irrespective of the variation in modifiability in different individuals. Similarly, our brain too is plastic, not in a literal way but our brain and it’s neural pathways and networks too are plastic i.e modifiable, can be rewired, reprogrammed and adapted with respect to the environment and conditions. When your neural networks are rewired, new habits, beliefs, affirmations and feelings are adapted. It is often said that neuroplasticity aids in empowering people diagnosed with OCD, Depression and Anxiety disorders with hope and slow relief. Neural Plasticity is followed by changes in neural circuitry that reveal and produce new changes.
People practice neural plasticity deliberately to rewrite their brain into a better one through meditation, affirmations, mindfulness etc. Recent neuroscience findings have shown that meditation is one way to rewire your brain circuits that positively affects your physical and mental health. It helps the brain to deeply rewire and enhance its ability to reprogram. This helps in reducing growth of neurodegenerative diseases, enhancing cognitive functions and overall well-being of the body. When you are meditating mindfully or mindlessly, throughout the process your subconscious mind picks up certain good or positive feelings, in the worst case scenario it even intensifies your active anxieties and fears (only if you focus on them consciously).
Sometimes we can’t help it. Unwillingly, our brain brings up our fears and anxieties but those should not be given too much attention. Your brain’s ability to filter certain stimuli from a group of stimuli and provide attention to it comes here. While meditating, when we focus on positive things and feel them, our neural connections form with those feelings and continue to be associated with them. As we repetitively practice it, the enhancement of this feeling intensifies and thus we frequently associate with it, storing it subconsciously.
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