Neuroplasticity Singapore
Ling Kliment
The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.
Background: Mild cognitive impairment is an age-related cognitive disorder which is associated with frequent memory lapses, impaired judgement, and progressive functional decline. If untreated early, 39.2% of people with mild cognitive impairment could progress to develop dementia. However, there are currently no approved pharmacological interventions to treat the condition, which lead researchers to explore non-pharmacological options, such as dance therapy.
Objectives: This systematic review aimed to examine the effectiveness of dance interventions on cognition, neuroplasticity, physical function, depression, and quality of life in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.
Methods: Seven databases were systematically searched from their respective inception dates to 31 March 2020. Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were screened and assessed for risk of bias. Eight RCTs evaluating dance interventions were included.
Conclusion: Dance is a non-pharmacological and inexpensive intervention that can be implemented for older adults on a large scale. It can slow down the cognitive deterioration of older adults with mild cognitive impairment. However, the findings should be interpreted with caution due to the heterogeneity in intervention designs. Rigorous design studies with long-term follow-ups, neuroimaging, biological markers, and comprehensive neuropsychological assessment are required to understand the mechanism of dance interventions and demonstrate its efficacy for older adults with mild cognitive impairment. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020173659).
Artificial synaptic devices are the essential components of neuromorphic computing systems, which are capable of parallel information storage and processing with high area and energy efficiencies, showing high promise in future storage systems and in-memory computing. Analogous to the diffusion of neurotransmitter between neurons, ion-migration-based synaptic devices are becoming promising for mimicking synaptic plasticity, though the precise control of ion migration is still challenging. Due to the unique 2D nature and highly anisotropic ionic transport properties, van der Waals layered materials are attractive for synaptic device applications. Here, utilizing the high conductivity from Cu+ -ion migration, a two-terminal artificial synaptic device based on layered copper indium thiophosphate is studied. By controlling the migration of Cu+ ions with an electric field, the device mimics various neuroplasticity functions, such as short-term plasticity, long-term plasticity, and spike-time-dependent plasticity. The Pavlovian conditioning and activity-dependent synaptic plasticity involved neural functions are also successfully emulated. These results show a promising opportunity to modulate ion migration in 2D materials through field-driven ionic processes, making the demonstrated synaptic device an intriguing candidate for future low-power neuromorphic applications.
Historically, scientists believed that the brain stopped growing after childhood. But current research shows that the brain is able to continue growing and changing throughout the lifespan, refining its architecture or shifting functions to different regions of the brain.
Neurogenesis refers to the creation of new brain cells. Scientists long believed that the brain was not capable of producing new neurons, but modern research has revealed that certain regions of the brain, particularly the hippocampus, are capable of generating new cells throughout adult life.
The disruption of neuroplasticity by severe stress or adversity is characteristic of such conditions as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. There is quite literally a loss of synapses. In those disorders, people get stuck in neural ruts of negative thinking/feeling/behaving or fear-based memories.
All psychotherapy is intended to foster resilience; the goal is to help people examine distressing feelings and experience and redirect them into more functional patterns, restoring cognitive and behavioral flexibility.
People who have endured traumatic brain injuries have revealed the remarkable capacity for the brain to change and heal. The brain can move critical functions from a damaged area to a healthy one, or recreate connections that were lost.
One powerful example is former U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who was tragically shot in the head in 2011. She could not speak following the incident, but in the years since, music therapy helped Giffords to recover the ability to express herself.
After a limb is amputated or lost, most people continue to feel sensations in that body part. They often feel pain, but they may also experience sensations such as being touched or wearing clothing. This fascinating phenomenon is due to neurons that continue to transmit sensory information about the body part that they previously controlled.
Due to brain plasticity, the amount of neural "real estate" devoted to a particular body part can increase or decrease. Sometimes this happens quickly; for example, losing a middle finger can lead neighboring fingers to soon take over that territory. Other times this happens slowly or not at all, as in the case of people whose phantom limbs persist for decades.
The existence of neuroplasticity creates the foundation for mental health treatment through rigorous and intensive cognitive training. It means that shifting beliefs and habits through talk therapy can create biological changes that can help overcome conditions such as anxiety and depression. Brain imaging studies have borne this out, demonstrating that therapy can produce lasting changes in brain structure and connectivity.
It is not only possible but necessary to use your mind and your body to reshape your brain. Enhancing synaptic connectivity through any of a variety of means actively promotes cognitive and mental health and blunts the impact of negative stimuli.
BDNF helps pave networks of neuronal correction, promoting mental and behavioral flexibility. Stress is known to weaken expression of BDNF. Studies show that walking an hour a day, 5 out of 7 days a week, increases brain matter in the hippocampus, the seat of learning and memory.
All drugs known to alleviate depression stimulate the release of BDNF and other biological molecules that promote nerve cell growth and neuroplasticity. Many other nonpharmacologic methods have been shown to directly stimulate and maintain neuroplasticity. They include:
The proteins responsible for regulating the processes of cell birth and cell death in the brain are known as neurotrophic factors, one of which is BDNF. When a neuron obtains an adequate amount of these proteins during development, it survives, while neurons that do not receive enough die. As these proteins are not abundant, neurons must compete for them during development and even into old age.
Rigorous exercise can be especially beneficial for neurogenesis and memory. One study found that three weeks of high-intensity cycling and five weeks of aerobic exercise improved cognitive functioning and increased levels of BDNF. Another found that BDNF levels increased with aerobic exercise and that this corresponded with a small increase in hippocampal volume as well.
Lifelong learning is increasingly being embraced as a key to keep living productive and fulfilling lives, even into old age. Neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to stay sufficiently malleable to reorganise its neural networks when exposed to new experiences and environments, is essential to our ability to learn.
How do we maintain neuroplasticity and slow down deterioration of our intellectual faculties as we age? Join our esteemed experts as they discuss ways to leverage neuroplasticity for learning, and how learning designers can harness these insights for better learning outcomes.
She approached the Institute of Functional Neuroscience (IFN) in Perth, Australia, an applied neuroscience clinic that harnesses the incredible potential of neuroplasticity via the development and application of their world-leading treatments, targeting many serious conditions and disorders.
Unlike virtually any other organ of the body, the brain has the incredible ability to reorganise itself and change in relation to its structure and function. This reorganisation can occur in response to damage or environmental challenge; the brain grows new structures and creates new pathways.
Take for example, if one hemisphere of the brain is damaged. In this circumstance, the intact hemisphere may take over some of its functions, and to compensate for the damage, the brain will reorganise itself by forming new connections and pathways.
The process begins with the use of advanced electroencephalographic (EEG) technology to track and measure activity in the brain. By doing this, the clinician is able to determine the areas in the brain where changes need to be made in order to specifically optimise function.
Assessing brain activity in this way leads to a unique insight into an individual's functional neurology and enables IFN Singapore to create personalised therapies. As treatment plans are bespoke, it ensures the most effective and efficient treatment possible, to help patients achieve their individual goals.
The entire treatment process is non-invasive - there are no drugs or surgical procedures involved. It is akin to learning new skills, which promotes neuroplasticity, or for patients with damaged areas of the brain, accelerates changes in the anatomy of the brain.
4a15465005