The Brain That Changes Itself (2007) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Characters/People edit see section history

• Merzenich: Add a description of this character.
• Michelle
• Edward Taub
• Ramachandran
• Cheryl
• Carol
• Grafman
• Freud
• Pascual-leone
• Kandel
• Barbara
• Frederick
• Paul Bach-y-rita
• Schwartz
• Penfield
• Sherrington
• Luria
• Tom
• Pacheco
• Sheree
• Gage
• Wiesel
• Nicole
• Dr. Bernstein
• Lauralee
• George
• Hubel
• Flanagan
• Wally
• Thomas
• Bob
• Hebb
• Pedro
• Emma
• Descartes
• Yuri
• Dr. Karansky
• Freeman
• Jenkins
• Keller

Quotes edit see section history

• “imagining an act and doing it are not as different as they sound”

• “Unlearning and weakening connections between neurons is just as plastic a process, and just as important, as learning and strengthening”

• “Neurons that fire together wire together.”

• Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers

• Finally, Merzenich discovered that paying close attention is essential to long-term plastic change. In numerous experiments he found that lasting changes occurred only when his monkeys paid close attention. When the animals performed tasks automatically, without paying attention, they changed their brain maps, but the changes did not last. We often praise “the ability to multitask.” While you can learn when you divide your attention, divided attention doesn’t lead to abiding change in your brain maps.

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• These exercises are now available in thirty independent-living communities and for individuals through the Posit Science Web site.

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• That’s why learning a new language in old age is so good for improving and maintaining the memory generally. Because it requires intense focus, studying a new language turns on the control system for plasticity and keeps it in good shape for laying down sharp memories of all kinds.

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• Neurons that fire apart wire apart—or Neurons out of sync fail to link.

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• Language development, for instance, has a critical period that begins in infancy and ends between eight years and puberty. After this critical period closes, a person’s ability to learn a second language without an accent is limited. In fact, second languages learned after the critical period are not processed in the same part of the brain as is the native tongue.

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• Merzenich has started a new company, Posit Science, devoted to helping people preserve the plasticity of their brains as they age and extend their mental lifespans.

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• A major reason memory loss occurs as we age is that we have trouble registering new events in our nervous systems, because processing speed slows down, so that the accuracy, strength, and sharpness with which we perceive declines. If you can’t register something clearly, you won’t be able to remember it well.

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• Scientific Learning, that is wholly devoted to using neuroplastic research to help people rewire their brains.

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• Based on his work with plasticity, Taub has discovered a number of training principles: training is more effective if the skill closely relates to everyday life; training should be done in increments; and work should be concentrated into a short time, a training technique Taub calls “massed practice,” which he has found far more effective than long-term but less frequent training.

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• Merzenich thinks our neglect of intensive learning as we age leads the systems in the brain that modulate, regulate, and control plasticity to waste away. In response he has developed brain exercises for age-related cognitive decline—the common decline of memory, thinking, and processing speed.

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Setting & Locations edit see section history

• California
• San Francisco
• United States
• Germany
• Maryland

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Norman Doidge (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 612.8

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Professional & Technical › Medical › Medicine › Internal Medicine › Neurology › Neuroscience
• Books › Medicine › Internal Medicine › Neurology › Neuroscience
• Books › Health, Mind & Body › Psychology & Counseling › Neuropsychology
• Books › Science › Biological Sciences › Anatomy

Books That Cite This Book edit see section history