# After watching this, your brain will not be the same | Lara Boyd | TEDxVancouver

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNHBMFCzznE
Translation: zh-CN

[00:00] Translator: Eatedal Saii Proofreader: Anwar Dafa-Alla

[00:14] So how do we learn?

[00:16] Why do some of us learn more easily than others?

[00:21] If that's as I mentioned, I'm Dr. Lara Bond.

[00:24] I am a brain researcher here at the University of British Columbia.

[00:28] There are questions that fascinate me.

[00:31] (Cheers) (Applause)

[00:35] Brain research is one of the greatest horizons

[00:38] in understanding human psychology,

[00:41] and also in taking into account what makes us who we are. It's a

[00:45] fun time being a brain researcher, and I

[00:47] can convince you

[00:49] that I have the most enjoyable job in the world.

[00:52] What we know about the brain is changing at a breathtaking pace. The more

[00:56] we learn and understand about the brain, the more it

[00:59] turns out to be incorrect or incomplete.

[01:03] Some misunderstandings are more obvious than others.

[01:06] For example, we used to think that

[01:09] after childhood, one does not change and is incapable of change. It

[01:14] turned out to be as far from the truth as possible.

[01:18] Another misconception about the brain is

[01:19] that you use parts of it at any given time and it

[01:23] shuts down when you do nothing.

[01:25] Well, that's also not true.

[01:27] Even when you're relaxing and

[01:29] not thinking about anything, your brain is highly active.

[01:33] If there is progress in technology such as magnetic resonance imaging,

[01:37] this allows us to make these discoveries and more.

[01:40] Perhaps the most enjoyable, interesting, and

[01:42] transformative aspect of these discoveries is that

[01:45] every time you learn a new piece of information or skill,

[01:49] you are changing your brain.

[01:51] It's something we call neuroplasticity.

[01:54] Less than 25 years ago, we believed that after puberty, the

[01:58] only change that occurred in the brain was negative:

[02:01] the loss of brain cells with age,

[02:03] causing damage, such as a stroke.

[02:06] Following this, studies began to show a large number

[02:09] of reorganizations in the adult brain. Subsequent

[02:13] research has shown us

[02:15] that all our behaviors are changed by the brain.

[02:19] These changes are not limited to aging,

[02:23] that's good news, right?

[02:24] In fact, it happens all the time.

[02:27] Most importantly,

[02:29] brain reorganization helps support the recovery process

[02:32] after damage to your brain.

[02:34] The key to all these changes is neuroplasticity.

[02:39] What does it look like then? Your

[02:41] brain can change through three key ways

[02:44] to support learning. The

[02:45] first method is chemical.

[02:48] If the brain actually works by transmitting chemical signals

[02:51] between brain cells, which we call neurons,

[02:53] this triggers a range of actions and reactions. To

[02:57] support learning, your brain can increase capacity

[03:00] by focusing on these chemical signals

[03:03] that occur between nerve cells.

[03:06] Because this change can happen quickly,

[03:09] this supports short-term memory

[03:10] or short-term improvement in motor skill performance. The

[03:15] second way the brain can change to support learning

[03:18] is by changing its structure.

[03:21] If learning occurs, the brain can change the connections between nerve cells.

[03:25] Here, the physical structure of the brain changes;

[03:28] this takes some time.

[03:30] This type of change relates to long-term memory,

[03:33] long-term improvement in motor skills.

[03:37] These processes interact, and let me give you an example of how that works. We have

[03:41] all tried to learn a new motor skill,

[03:44] perhaps playing the piano,

[03:46] perhaps learning to run.

[03:48] I experienced improvement

[03:50] during a single training session,

[03:53] believing "I've got it done,"

[03:55] and then, perhaps, the next day,

[03:57] all the improvements from the first day were gone.

[04:01] What happened?

[04:02] Well, in the short term, your brain was able to increase the

[04:05] chemical signals between nerve cells.

[04:08] But for some reason, these changes did not include the important structural changes

[04:13] to support long-term memory.

[04:17] Remembering these long-term memories takes time.

[04:20] What you see in the short term does not reflect learning;

[04:23] it is these physical changes

[04:25] that will now support long-term memories, and the

[04:27] chemical signals that in turn support these memories.

[04:32] Structural changes can also lead to integrated networks of brain regions

[04:36] that work as a whole to support learning.

[04:39] Which can lead to specific brain regions that are

[04:41] important for very subtle actions

[04:44] to change or expand your structure.

[04:46] Here are some examples of that.

[04:49] People who have read Braille (a reading system for the blind)

[04:51] have the sensory area in their brains that is larger than those who have not. The

[04:56] dominant motor area, which is on the left side of your brain,

[05:00] if you are right-handed, is larger than the other side.

[05:04] Research shows that London taxi drivers

[05:07] who have already memorized a map of London to obtain a driving license

[05:12] have larger brain regions dedicated to space or map memory.

[05:17] Another way your brain can change to support learning is

[05:20] by changing its functions.

[05:23] As the brain regions are used,

[05:25] they become more and more stimulated and easier to use again.

[05:29] Just as your brain has these areas that are overstimulated, the

[05:32] brain changes how and when to activate these areas.

[05:35] We see, through learning,

[05:37] that all brain network activity is altered and changed.

[05:42] Neuroplasticity is supported

[05:44] by chemical, structural, and functional changes, and

[05:48] these occur throughout the brain. They

[05:51] can occur in isolation from each other,

[05:53] but they often occur in full.

[05:57] Together, they support learning. And

[05:59] they happen most of the time. I have just

[06:04] told you how amazing the neuroplasticity is in your brains.

[06:08] Why can't you learn anything you choose easily?

[06:13] Why do our children sometimes fail in school?

[06:16] Why do we tend to forget things as we grow older?

[06:20] Why don't people fully recover from brain damage?

[06:23] This is it: What are the limits and facilitations of neuroplasticity? And

[06:29] that's if I study it.

[06:31] I study specifically things related to recovery from stroke.

[06:35] Recently, the rate of strokes has dropped

[06:36] from the third leading cause of death in the United States

[06:40] to the fourth leading cause of death.

[06:42] Good news, right?

[06:44] But in reality, it turns out

[06:46] that the number of people suffering strokes has not decreased.

[06:49] We have improved at keeping people alive after severe strokes.

[06:53] It turns out that it is very difficult to help the brain recover from a stroke.

[06:58] Frankly,

[06:59] we have failed to develop effective transformations in rehabilitation. The

[07:05] bottom line is that stroke is the leading cause

[07:09] of long-term disability in adults worldwide.

[07:13] Individuals with stroke are younger

[07:15] and generally live longer with that disability.

[07:18] Research from my group actually shows

[07:21] that quality of life is related to health. The number of Canadians with stroke has decreased.

[07:26] Clearly, we must be better

[07:28] at helping people recover from stroke.

[07:30] This is a very big societal problem, and

[07:33] it is a problem that we are not solving.

[07:36] So what can be done? One thing is certain

[07:38] : the

[07:41] best carrier of neuroplasticity in your brain is your behavior.

[07:46] The problem is that the dose of behavior, the dose of exercise

[07:50] required to learn something new and relearn an old motor skill, is too

[07:53] large.

[07:55] How to effectively deliver these large doses of exercise

[07:58] is a very difficult problem: and it is also a costly problem. The

[08:03] direction my research has taken

[08:05] is to develop treatments that prepare or prime the brain for learning.

[08:09] These include brain simulations, exercises, and robotics.

[08:14] However, during the research, I discovered that the biggest obstacle

[08:18] to developing treatments that accelerate the recovery process from stroke

[08:21] is that patterns of neuroplasticity vary from person to person. As

[08:28] a researcher, disagreement drives me crazy.

[08:32] It makes using statistics very difficult

[08:35] to test your data and ideas.

[08:38] For this reason, medical intervention studies are

[08:41] specifically designed to bridge the gap in differences.

[08:45] But in my research, it became clear

[08:48] that the most important and informative data we collect

[08:52] show this discrepancy.

[08:56] So, during the study of the brain after a stroke, we learned a lot, and

[09:00] I believe these lessons are extremely valuable in other ways. The

[09:06] first lesson is that the

[09:07] main carrier of change in your brain is your behavior,

[09:11] therefore there is no neuroplasticity serum you can take.

[09:15] Nothing is more important than practice to help yourself learn, and the

[09:19] starting point is that you have to do the work.

[09:23] In fact, my research has shown that

[09:25] increasing difficulty, increasing struggle if you do it during training,

[09:30] actually leads to two things: learning more, and

[09:32] more change in brain structure.

[09:37] The problem here is that neuroplasticity can work in two directions. It

[09:42] can be positive, you learn something new,

[09:45] and improve a motor skill. It

[09:47] can be negative, such as forgetting something you learned before,

[09:51] becoming addicted to drugs, or

[09:53] perhaps developing chronic pain. Your

[09:56] brain is incredibly flexible and

[09:58] is shaped structurally and functionally through everything you do,

[10:03] but also through everything you don't do. The

[10:07] second lesson we learned about the brain is that there is

[10:09] no single approach to learning that suits everyone .

[10:14] If there is no recipe for learning. Let's consider the

[10:16] common belief that it takes 10,000 hours of training

[10:20] to learn and master a new motor skill.

[10:23] I assure you it is not an easy task.

[10:27] For some of us,

[10:28] more training will be required, and for some, less.

[10:32] If our flexible mindset is so unique, no

[10:36] intervention will benefit us as a whole.

[10:41] This realization forced us to look into something called personalized medicine.

[10:46] This idea of ​​improving outcomes

[10:49] requires each individual to have their own intervention.

[10:53] In fact, this idea came from cancer treatments. It has become clear

[10:55] that genetics is very important in matching

[10:59] specific types of chemotherapy to specific forms of cancer.

[11:04] My research shows that this can be applied to recovery from stroke.

[11:08] There are specific characteristics of brain structure and function that

[11:11] we call biomarkers.

[11:12] These indicators prove to be extremely helpful and

[11:15] assist us in matching certain

[11:17] types of treatments with sick individuals.

[11:20] Data from my lab suggest a combination of biomarkers that

[11:24] best predicts changes in neuroplasticity and forms of recovery after a stroke.

[11:29] This is not surprising, given how complex the human brain is.

[11:34] But I also think we should take this concept more broadly.

[11:39] Given the unique structure and function of each of our brains,

[11:43] what we have learned about neuroplasticity after a stroke applies to everyone.

[11:50] The behaviors we practice in our daily lives are important.

[11:54] Each one of them changes your brain. I

[11:57] believe we should take into account the

[11:59] non-personalization of medicine, but the diagnosis of learning, the

[12:03] uniqueness of your brain, will affect you as a

[12:05] student and also as a teacher.

[12:08] This idea helps us understand

[12:11] why some children can thrive in traditional educational settings and

[12:15] some cannot,

[12:17] why some of us can learn languages easily and

[12:19] yet some can pick up any sport and excel.

[12:25] So when you leave this room today,

[12:28] your brain will not be the same as it was this morning when you entered.

[12:32] I think this is absolutely fantastic.

[12:36] But each of you will change your brain in a different way.

[12:40] Understanding these differences,

[12:42] these individual forms, this diversity and change

[12:46] will enable great progress in neuroscience:

[12:49] it will allow us to develop new and more effective interventions,

[12:53] and allow for matching learners and teachers,

[12:57] patients and interventions.

[13:00] This does not apply to recovery after a stroke;

[13:03] it applies to all of us, as parents, as teachers, as managers,

[13:08] and also because you are at TEDx today, as lifelong learners.

[13:13] Study how and what you want to learn best.

[13:16] Repeat these behaviors that are healthier for your brains, and

[13:20] break those harmful behaviors and habits . The

[13:24] exercise.

[13:26] Learning is doing the work your brain requires.

[13:30] Therefore, the best strategies will vary among individuals.

[13:34] You know, it will be diverse among individuals.

[13:37] So, for you, learning music can be very easy,

[13:40] but learning to ski is much more difficult.

[13:44] I hope you leave today

[13:46] with a new appreciation for just how great your brains are.

[13:49] You and your flexible mind are constantly being reshaped by the world around you.

[13:54] Understand that everything you do,

[13:57] everything you face, and everything you experience changes your brain.

[14:01] This could be for the better, but it could also be for the worse.

[14:05] So when you leave today, go out and build the brain you want.

[14:10] Thank you very much.

[14:11] (applause)