Over the last week, I’ve been diving deep into the fascinating world of the blood-brain barrier for a side project on psilocybin and DMT research. As I was exploring this topic, I stumbled upon something that I became intimately acquainted with about four years ago when I started a new job: neuroplasticity. The human brain’s ability to rewire itself never ceases to amaze me.
Starting a new role can be incredibly stressful. The intense training, the flood of new faces and names to remember, and the shifting environment can all take their toll. But our bodies, and particularly our brains, are miraculous in their ability to adapt.
The average length of employment in America is now just 4.1 years before we switch jobs. Many of us have been there – starting a new job, or perhaps dealing with the aftermath of a stroke or a traumatic head injury. (Let’s be honest, sometimes starting a new job can feel like we’ve had a traumatic head injury!) But we’re able to bounce back and recover thanks to a remarkable process that our brain initiates. Our synapses – those bioelectrical signals – begin forging new paths to their destinations. But how exactly does the brain pull off this feat?
Let’s take a closer look at the hippocampus, one of the most plastic areas of the brain. Even in adulthood, this region, located inside the medial temporal lobe, shows an incredible capacity for change. The hippocampus is associated with learning and memory, and it’s part of the limbic system where emotional responses are processed. We actually have two hippocampi, one near each ear. When we’re learning something new, this part of our brain lights up with neuronal activity.
Imagine billions of tiny Christmas lights flickering on and off – that’s what’s happening in your brain as you read this. These flashes are bioelectricity (synapses) moving between neuronal contacts. Scientists have even managed to record this activity as optical flashes of light in simpler organisms like the Caenorhabditis elegans worm.
The structure of our neurons is incredibly complex. We have about 100 billion of these connections housed in our brains. When we learn something new or recover from an injury, these microscopic connections change their terminal wiring by themselves. As you stimulate your brain by reading a new text, learning a new language, or relearning how to speak after a stroke, your neural circuitry is literally rewiring itself.
Here’s the beautiful irony: as I’ve been researching and writing about neuroplasticity, I’ve been experiencing it firsthand. I’ve felt incredibly “on” this week, absorbing new information and making new connections. My brain has been rewiring its circuitry, and so has yours if you’ve read this far. Even if it’s just a small amount, it’s happening. It’s not magic – it’s science. More specifically, it’s neuroplasticity.
You’ve just been subjected to a knowledge bomb, and your brain is better for it. Isn’t the human brain amazing?
