A discussion published by World Science Festival, moderated by Guy McKhann
Neuroplasticity topics covered:
- Opening film 00:00 –
- What is neuroplasticity? 03:53 –
- Participant introductions 04:21 –
- Structure of the brain 05:21 –
- Is the brain fundamentally unwired at the start? 07:02 –
- Why does the process of human brain development seem inefficient? 08:30 –
- Balancing stability and plasticity 10:43 –
- Critical periods of brain development 13:01 –
- Extended human childhood development compared to other animals 14:54 –
- Stability and. plasticity in the visual system 17:37 –
- Reopening the visual system 25:13 –
- Pros and cons of brain plasticity vs. stability 27:28 –
- Plasticity in the autistic brain 29:55 –
- What is Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) 31:25 –
- Phases of emotional development 33:10 –
- Schizophrenia and plasticity 37:40 –
- Recovery from brain injury 40:24 –
- Modern rehabilitation techniques 47:21 –
- Holy grail of Neuroscience 50:12 –
- Enhancing memory performance as we age 53:37 –
- Regulating emotions 57:19
PROGRAM CREDITS: – Produced by Nils Kongshaug – Associate Produced by Christine Driscoll – Opening film written / produced by Vin Liota – Music provided by APM – Additional images and footage provided by: Getty Images, Shutterstock, Videoblocks This program was recorded live at the 2018 World Science Festival and has been edited and condensed for YouTube.
Our team at Ultraswift loved this insightful talk because of the perspectives and articulation of the panelists. It made it intriguing and educational.
Follow more of their work by clicking on their names below :
Alvaro Pascual-Leone |
Nim Tottenham |
Carla Shatz |
A note that this was the first time, we had encountered these panelists and moderator
One thing that grabbed our attention and led to some interesting conversation, was the idea that brain development, seems inefficient in human beings, if compared with that of some animals. The panelists talk about how a baby turtle, immediately it is born, heads off and masterfully navigates the ocean and survives. Human babies on the other hand, are wholly reliant on a parent, to develop and navigate their early years successfully.
If you look at how the brain neural paths and synapses are meshed together, there is evidence that all the faculties required for us to learn anything and everything ; for example, how to speak all languages, how to play all musical instruments, how to walk , run and jump, are all available to us. We respond to stimulus from our environment, to determine which synapses we keep and which we ultimately lose, through non-use.
This is a good guide for how to approach a business. We debated which we’d go with ; the synapse structure of a turtle or that of a human being?