{"id":1760,"date":"2026-05-29T16:37:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T14:37:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brainhelpdesk.nl\/en\/?post_type=vraag&p=1760"},"modified":"2026-05-29T16:37:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T14:37:08","slug":"can-i-train-plasticity","status":"publish","type":"vraag","link":"https:\/\/brainhelpdesk.nl\/en\/vraag\/can-i-train-plasticity\/","title":{"rendered":"Can I train plasticity?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is plasticity?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Look around you, everything is constantly moving, changing, and throwing surprises at us. And yet, most of the time, we manage to adapt, react, and find the right solution. How? Thanks to the brain\u2019s incredible ability to change and adapt, a phenomenon known as plasticity<\/em>! It allows us to learn new things, build memories, and adapt upon environmental changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plasticity happens mainly at the connections between brain cells. These brain cells, called neurons, communicate  with each other through connections called synapses, and they can change the strength of these synapses depending on their use. Plasticity can go both ways. When a synapse is often used, it becomes stronger. On the contrary, when a synapse is less often or no longer used, it becomes weaker. So, plasticity helps the brain keep what is important and useful, and slowly remove what is no longer needed. This is how the brain learns efficiently, by constantly reshaping its own connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can we measure brain plasticity?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In animals, studying plasticity has become much easier because we can directly observe single neurons and synapses and see how they change during learning. In humans, it\u2019s a bit more challenging. Because plasticity is difficult to measure directly, improvements in learning are often used as an indirect measure of how well the brain can adapt. During these tasks, neuroimaging techniques allow researchers to monitor brain activity and connectivity and detect ongoing changes. Tools like electroencephalography (EEG) or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) allow researchers to see how brain networks adapt during specific mental activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plasticity can also be measured using biological markers. Your neurons release small molecules that help the connections grow, connect, and get stronger. One of the most important of these molecules is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which can be measured in your blood. BDNF promotes neuronal growth and survival, and higher levels of this molecule reflect ongoing plasticity in the brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together these approaches show that even if we cannot directly observe plasticity in the human brain, we can still capture its consequences at multiple levels, from molecules to large-scale brain structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A classic example of how plasticity can be studied in humans comes from London taxi drivers. Their job requires them to develop exceptional navigation skills in order to master the highly complex map of London. By memorizing the complex streets of the city, taxi drivers enlarged their hippocampus, a brain structure involved in spatial navigation, memory formation and memory maintenance. The more experienced they are, the bigger their hippocampus! This shows how experience can physically reshape the human brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plasticity across the lifespan<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For a long time, it was believed that learning was possible only during childhood and adolescence. However, over the past decades, neuroscientists have clearly disproven this myth, showing that learning and brain plasticity continue throughout adulthood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, the brain does not maintain the same ability to change throughout life.. During early development, including the prenatal period and childhood, the brain goes through critical periods of plasticity. During these periods, experience strongly shapes the formation of functional brain networks. This is a time when the brain is particularly receptive and open to learning from the world around it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During adolescence and adulthood, the brain continues to adapt to a changing environment through both functional and structural changes. Overall, the ability to change and adapt tends to peak in young adulthood and then gradually decreases with aging. Importantly, plasticity never disappears completely and can be supported and maintained by an active and healthy lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you train your plasticity?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes, you can! There are many ways to train your brain\u2019s plasticity and keep it flexible for longer. Physical exercise, cognitive training, good sleep, stress management, healthy nutrition, and social interactions are powerful ways to support and strengthen brain plasticity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physical activity and movement<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Overall, there has been a strong scientific consensus for decades that physical exercise is not only good for the body, but is also one of the most effective ways to boost neural plasticity and improve cognition and memory. It is also a very powerful strategy if you want to maintain your plasticity over the long term, as regular physical activity throughout life can slow down mental aging and reduce the risk of developing neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer\u2019s disease and Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it is never too late to start! A group of elderly women underwent aerobic and resistance training for several weeks. They strongly improved their cognitive performance compared to elderly women that did not train. These changes were also accompanied by an increase of levels of BDNF. Could you remember what BDNF is, using your newly strengthened synapses? \ud83d\ude09 It is a small molecule we mentioned earlier that supports neuron survival and growth and is strongly linked to enhanced brain plasticity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lifelong learning and cognitive training<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Keeping your brain active is key to maintaining plasticity. Challenging your brain with novel tasks, mental exercises or social engagement strengthens connections between neurons and even reshapes how different parts of the brain are linked together. This makes it easier to pick up new skills over time, in other words, it\u2019s the concept of learning-to-learn<\/em>, or, in fancier words, meta-learning<\/em>. The more you train your mind, the more it rewires itself for better memory, attention, and problem-solving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stress management<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Chronic stress also powerfully reshapes the brain, but probably not the way you want! Prolonged exposure to stress induces strong neural changes, which increases the risk of developing central nervous system disorders. Patients with high stress levels (which occur in disorders such as depression, Cushing\u2019s syndrome or ADHD) often have a smaller hippocampus, the brain region involved in memory formation. In other words, stress does change the brain, but it tends to shift the balance toward weaker connections between neurons and brain areas, rather than enhanced memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is that the opposite is also true. Practices that reduce stress, such as meditation, also change the brain and improve memory. For example, looking inside the brains of the Dalai Lama and Tibetan monks using fMRI and EEG revealed brain changes in specific brain areas compared to people who do not meditate. Meditation actively changes the brain by strengthening connections between neurons in regions involved in attention, empathy, and self-awareness. In contrast, it reduces neuronal communication in areas that control stress responses. This was one of the first scientific pieces of evidence showing that intensive meditation can reshape the brain and enhance specific mental qualities, such as compassion. These discoveries inspired meditation-based programs for people with depression, helping lower the risk of relapse. No need to meditate like a Tibetan monk to benefit from this though. Even regular, sustained meditation can lead to long-lasting<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep exploring and training your brain on our webpage, or go for some exercise or meditation to keep your brain plastic!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further reading<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

About London taxi drive: https:\/\/www.brainandlife.org\/articles\/london-cabbies-drive-alzheimers-research<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is plasticity? Look around you, everything is constantly moving, changing, and throwing surprises at us. And yet, most of the time, we manage to adapt, react, and find the right solution. How? Thanks to the brain\u2019s incredible ability to … Lees verder…<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,35,41,60],"class_list":["post-1760","vraag","type-vraag","status-publish","hentry","category-enhancement-of-the-brain","category-intelligence","category-learning-memory","category-sport"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brainhelpdesk.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vraag\/1760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brainhelpdesk.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vraag"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brainhelpdesk.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/vraag"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brainhelpdesk.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/brainhelpdesk.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vraag\/1760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1764,"href":"https:\/\/brainhelpdesk.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vraag\/1760\/revisions\/1764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brainhelpdesk.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brainhelpdesk.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}