Disclaimer!
Please note that, many concepts discussed below are oversimplifications of the true workings of the brain. It is a good practice to not take anything for granted when learning neuroscience due to the subject's complex and obscure nature.
In this session, we'll be learning about how you learn new things and remember them, including the brain regions and major mechanisms involved in this process.
Have you ever wondered how you can gain so much knowledge everyday without your brain showing any notable growth in size? Here are four options that suggests different ways through which we can learn... take a second to choose your answer. (If you don't know what dendrites and axons are, please visit the page for our first session to review the key concepts!) The explanation is provided below~
First, I want to note that all of the four options are true to some extent. However, No. 2 is the most widely recognized mode of learning, named "neuroplasticity". This will be explained further in a later page. As for the others, adult neurogenesis occurs at a very slow rate, if at all, and although neuronal migration and axon growth does exist, they are not considered the main mechanism behind learning and memory. So congrats if you chose No. 2!
LET'S PLAY
Additional resources for the curious mind!
Below are some resources that you can read and watch to explore any concepts that interest you:
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Introductory video on neuroplasticity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWIagHUqD8A&pp=ygUPbmV1cm9wbGFzdGljaXR5 -
Interesting video on how different parts of a neuron learn differently (involves content not covered in slides):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9StHNcGs-JM&pp=ygUZZGlmZmVyZW50IG5ldXJvcGxhc3RpY2l0eQ%3D%3D -
Article on applications of neuroplasticity in clinical settings:
Cramer, S. C., Sur, M., Dobkin, B. H., O'Brien, C., Sanger, T. D., Trojanowski, J. Q., ... & Vinogradov, S. (2011). Harnessing neuroplasticity for clinical applications. Brain, 134(6), 1591-1609.