Part Two: Plasticity, Memory, and Other Fantastic Brain Functions – 4. Getting to Know Your Dynamic Brain from the Inside Out

• The brain contains different specialized regions and different specialized cell types. Broca’s area, for example, generates speech while Wernicke’s area does language comprehension. Your hippocampus deals with learning and memory and your visual cortex is the center of sight. In any case, all areas are connected in five major networks that deal with language, attention, sight, emotions, planning and decision-making, and movement.
• Cell types include astrocytes that serve a care giver role as they transport nutrients to the neurons that do the thinking. Microglia are the brain’s immune defense always on the lookout for bacteria and viruses. Oligodendrocytes wrap the myelin around axons and function as insulation. Insulation is important in any electric system like the brain, which is very resilient.

5. Memory, Plasticity, and Habit Change

• Memory is physical and malleable. Believing you learn something makes it more possible. You tend to remember peak and last memories associated with any event. The four steps are acquisition, consolidation, storage, and retrieval. The act of retrieval reinforces pathways making it a good way to study. Short term memory lasts up to thirty seconds. Working memory holds things that you need to use briefly and lasts up to a few minutes. Important things are transferred to long-term memory. Procedural memory holds step by step procedures that let you do things like ride a bike, play golf, and dance.
• You are much more likely to remember something if your emotions are involved. There are many reasons we might forget something. They include attitude, sleep quality, distraction, poor diet and exercise, depression, hormonal changes, and side effects of drugs and medication. A pleasure chemical called dopamine, is emitted in your brain when you engage in brain-stimulating behaviors. It reinforces the behavior, which can lead to addiction.

6. How to Improve Your Memory

• Like preparing for a race where you have to train, improving your memory also requires training. Attitude is vital. You need to replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts. You also need to motivate yourself. Tips for remembering names start with repeating the name as soon as your hear it out loud. Then repeat it several times during conversation.
• If you want to remember where you put things, always put them in the same place. (Doug: I always put my keys, wallet, and iPhone in the same place at home and on the road.) For finding your car, visualize the place where you left it and take a photo as a back up. There are also tips her for memorizing credit card numbers, grocery lists, and even a list of random things. Inventing stories and imagining things in familiar places can work.

Share this: