How does neuroplasticity work?

Answer 1

As an engineer who studies the brain, I think neuroplasticity is one of the coolest things in the world! Basically, neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to adapt and change over time. At the smallest, single cell level (what I study), neuroplasticity works like this: when two cells (cell A and cell B) are connected by a synapse, specific patterns of firing in cell A will lead to its synapse with cell B to get stronger (called long term potentiation, LTP) or weaker (called long term depression, LTD). This process is the foundation of how our brains learn, remember, forget, and adapt over time. The effects of neuroplasticity can be seen in other, larger ways as well. For example, when someone's brain is injured by stroke or the loss of a limb, the brain undergoes "remapping", which is the brain's way of changing in response to the injury. In the case of amputation, the space in the brain dedicated to the amputated limb is taken over by nearby areas. In the case of stroke, "normal" behavior can be restored by specific types of therapy, including using robots and virtual reality that re-teach normal functions. There are many other areas and examples of neuroplasticity, including how neuroplasticity helps our brains develop and how certain drugs or diseases can affect plasticity, but I hope this is a good start!