The BRAIN that Changes Itself

I have just finished reading Norman Doidge MD's book by this name.

It is subtitled 'Stories of personal triumph from the frontiers of Brain Science'.

Norman Doidge, MD, a psychiatrist and researcher, set out to investigate neuroplasticity and met both the brilliant scientists championing it and the people whose lives they’ve transformed.

A Summary:

The Brain is a plastic, living organ that can actually change its own structure and function, even into old age. Arguably the most important breakthrough in neuroscience since scientists first sketched out the brain’s basic anatomy, this revolutionary discovery, called neuroplasticity, promises to overthrow the centuries-old notion that the brain is fixed and unchanging. The brain is not, as was thought, like a machine, or “hardwired” like a computer. Neuroplasticity not only gives hope to those with mental limitations, or what was thought to be incurable brain damage, but expands our understanding of the healthy brain and the resilience of human nature.

A riveting collection of case histories detailing the astonishing progress of people whose conditions had long been dismissed as hopeless. We see a woman born with half a brain that rewired itself to work as a whole, a woman labeled retarded who cured her deficits with brain exercises and now cures those of others, blind people learning to see, learning disorders cured, IQs raised, aging brains rejuvenated, painful phantom limbs erased, stroke patients recovering their faculties, children with cerebral palsy learning to move more gracefully, entrenched depression and anxiety disappearing, and lifelong character traits altered.

Doidge takes us into terrain that might seem fantastic. We learn that our thoughts can switch our genes on and off, altering our brain anatomy. Scientists have developed machines that can follow these physical changes in order to read people’s thoughts, allowing the paralyzed to control computers and electronics just by thinking. We learn how people of average intelligence can, with brain exercises, improve their cognition and perception in order to become savant calculators, develop muscle strength, or learn to play a musical instrument, simply by imagining doing so.

Using personal stories from the heart of this neuroplasticity revolution, Dr. Doidge explores the profound implications of the changing brain for understanding the mysteries of love, sexual attraction, taste, culture and education in an immensely moving, inspiring book that will permanently alter the way we look at human possibility and human nature.

www.normandoidge.com...



[edit on 7/12/09 by troubleshooter]

[edit on 7/12/09 by troubleshooter]

Originally posted by troubleshooter

The Brian is a plastic, living organ that can actually change its own structure and function, even into old age.

I wish I was like Brian.



Anyway, an interesting article, been thinking that such could be an possibility.

-v

Indeed. This was what the work of Dr. ELIZABETH GOULD (Princeton) has been about over the last 20-something years. She challenged that giant in the field, PASKO RAKIC, with her findings: to wit, that the BRAIN is capable of NEUROGENESIS:
www.seedmagazine.com...

That's quite inspirational, and only semi-surprising. People have the tendency to belittle our powers without testing our mindset.

Does Dr. Doidge attempt to explain the plasticity of the brain in his book, or is it mostly a set of documented examples where this has occurred, but is mostly as of yet unexplainable? I'd be quite interested in reading something like this if he has some practical advice on how to improve our own brains, but even if it is merely a set of case studies describing his and other doctor's observations, it sounds like a fascinating read.

Originally posted by DragonsDemesne
Does Dr. Doidge attempt to explain the plasticity of the brain in his book, or is it mostly a set of documented examples where this has occurred, but is mostly as of yet unexplainable? I'd be quite interested in reading something like this if he has some practical advice on how to improve our own brains, but even if it is merely a set of case studies describing his and other doctor's observations, it sounds like a fascinating read.

Dr. Doidge interviews and examines the work of researchers in the area and give a brilliant overview of the theory and pragmatic application.

He has a chapter on sexuality that I thought would get a reaction from the gay community but I have seen nothing much yet.

Awesome vid. -- thanks.

www.themonthly.com.au...

Here's the full length vid