How Does The Brain Learn New things? by Anlin Charles

 How Does The Brain Learn New things?

PICTURE: The neurons are connecting together to make a long lasting connection, making the brain change.

Neurons connecting to make long term connections. The synapse is a small gap between the neurons that is used to project connections and communicate with each other. For every neuron connection, there is a synapse between them. 

Whenever a human learns something new, the brain changes making it an irreversible action. Due to the fact that people learn many things every single day, the brain changes more often than humans  think. Something that happens in humans when we learn new things, is that our brain's physical shape changes everytime we learn something new. Neurogenesis is when the brain creates more neurons. Our brain’s physical shape is shaped genetically or physically. When the brain learns something new, the brain forms new neuron connections or makes ones that already exist, stronger. The new thing that the brain has learned is now a short term memory, and with practice and a good amount of sleep each night, the short term memory will be turned into a long lasting memory. This process is called myelination, where the brain processes faster because it already knows the skill.

When humans don’t learn new things or expande on new knowledge, the brain's neuron connections break apart, or even die. When you stop learning new things, you keep repeating things that you already know how to do, which will later get boring, having less dopamine release in the human brain. The long lasting memory connections could weaken and even get broken, resulting in severe memory loss. 

Works Cited

Cunnington, Ross. “Neuroplasticity: How the Brain Changes with Learning.” IBE — Science of Learning Portal, 18 Sept. 2019, solportal.ibe-unesco.org/articles/neuroplasticity-how-the-brain-changes-with-learning/. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.

Digest. “How Experience Shapes the Brain.” ELife, 17 Mar. 2020, elifesciences.org/digests/52743/how-experience-shapes-the-brain. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.

Sterling, Christa. “What Happens to Your Brain When You Learn a New Skill?” CCSU, 25 July 2017, ce.ccsu.edu/what-happens-to-your-brain-when-you-learn-a-new-skill/. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.