Ep. 168: The Brain That Changes and Heals Itself

Guest: Dr. Norman Doidge, University of Toronto, Columbia University

Our brains are so complicated, neuroscientists are still only at the beginning of understanding how that grey matter inside our skulls works.

For centuries, the brain was completely misunderstood. Then, as we started to unlock the myriad regions and elements of the brain, a range of theories emerged about how it worked. Most have been set aside as neuroscientists introduced Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to map our brains.

Over the past 25 years, fMRIs have reshaped our understanding of the brain. One important discovery has been how flexible and adaptable it is. Dr Norman Doidge has been at the forefront of discovering the power of the brain to adapt and change because of its plastic nature.

Neuroplasticity, in other words, is the ability to form and reorganize synaptic connections in response to learning, experience, disease and following injury. We asked Dr Doidge to join us for a Conversation That Matters about our remarkably adaptable brains.