The hippocampus plays an important role in long-term memory recall. Learning a language at any stage of life could help slow down future decline related to age, including symptoms of dementia.Īnother 2012 study found evidence to support the idea that picking up a new language increases gray matter density and neuroplasticity.Īfter 3 months of intensive study of a new topic, 14 adult interpreters saw increases in both gray matter density and hippocampal volume. In fact, it’s believed bilingualism may offer some protective benefits against cognitive decline.
Increased gray matter density can improve your function in these areas, especially as you age. Gray matter houses many important regions in your brain, including areas associated with: After 5 months of intensive language study, their proficiency in German had increased - and so had the density of gray matter in their brain. In one 2012 study, researchers looked at 10 exchange students who were native English speakers studying German in Switzerland. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that acquiring a new language improves cognitive function. In either case, you’d be doing your brain a big favor. This doesn’t mean you have to play for 16 hours at once, of course - this actually isn’t recommended.īut adding a few hours of weekly gameplay to your leisure time can be a great way to improve neuroplasticity.Įver considered studying another language? Maybe you thought a second (or third) language might boost your career opportunities, or you wanted to pick it up just for fun. These effects appear to kick in after about 16 hours of gameplay.
Exercises that promote positive neuroplasticity, then, may help “rewrite” these patterns to improve well-being.
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Neuroplasticity also seems to have promise as a driver of potential treatment for certain mental health conditions.Įxperts believe the negative thought patterns that occur with depression, for example, could result from interrupted or impaired neuroplasticity processes. Therapy and rehabilitation can help your brain relearn this ability by repairing old pathways or creating new ones.
In other words, it can continue developing and changing throughout life.įor example, if brain trauma after a car accident affects your ability to speak, you haven’t necessarily lost this ability permanently. “Neuroplasticity” refers to your brain’s ability to restructure or rewire itself when it recognizes the need for adaption. But evidence does support the existence of one of its most important processes: neuroplasticity. Some believe we may never fully understand them all. Experts have yet to determine the limits of the brain’s abilities.