Science Friday Kids' Connection^tm -- in association with Kidsnet
Brain Plasticity (February 2, 2007, Two)

Program Summary | Guests | Related Links and Resources | For Discussion | Activities | Hear the program | About Kids Connection | SFKC Home

Program Summary

The human brain is plastic. Not like a piece of Tupperware, but plastic in the sense that it flexible and malleable, capable of growing and changing throughout its life.

For many years, scientists and physicians believed that the brain had grown most or even all the neurons it will ever have by age two, with a second, smaller growth spurt in the teen years. Now, new technologies reveal our brain in ways that were never before possible, giving us the ability to “watch” when and where neurons fire during specific activities. Neuroplasticity is a field of study that has arisen from this technological advance; it holds that, while brain cells may die, new neurons are constantly being produced and that the brain reaches out to various cerebral parts to learn new skills or compensate for damage.

One proof of this plasticity came from a study at Harvard University. Two groups of volunteers were presented with a piece of unfamiliar piano music. One group as given the music and a keyboard, and told to practice. The other group was told just to read the music and imagine playing it. When their brain activity was examined, both groups showed expansion in their motor cortex, even though the second group had never touched a keyboard.

Guests

Sharon Begley
Author, "Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain" (Ballantine Books, 2007)
Science Columnist, Wall Street Journal
New York, New York

Related Links and Resources

Time, January 19, 2007: How The Brain Rewires Itself
Neuroscience for Kids - Brain Plasticity

For Discussion:

• What does “neuroplasticity” mean? How did this field of neurology develop?
• How is neuroplasticity different from what was believed about the brain previously?
• What were the results of the piano-playing experiment? What does it say about the brain’s ability to change?
• Write a story about how an accident or stroke victim learns to use a limb or regain the ability to cook, play music or read.

Activities

Gray matter matters. The most comprehensive Web site for studying the brain is Neuroscience for Kids, which takes you on a detailed tour of our amazing organ with the help of illustrations, animations, activities, and quizzes. Every brain-related topic you can think of is covered, and links to other useful sites are plentiful. You can read the latest neuroscience news, sign up to receive an e-newsletter, and send questions to a neurologist. Excellent lesson plans for Brain Awareness Week (or any time of year) are available. The Brain Plasticity page has a very good explanation of this phenomenon.

Hurt feelings. While you are waiting...About Brain Injury is a straightforward site that lays out the parts of the brain, their functions, and what happens when they are injured. Invite a neurologist to speak to the class about brain injury or arrange a trip to a hospital to view imaging equipment. Brainstormer, a lesson plan from Discovery School, examines brain injury and has students write essays and create 2-D or 3-D models of the brain. They also discuss the roots of mental illness in the brain.

Brainiac. Brainarium Hall introduces younger students to the anatomy and functions of the brain. Break it down at Brainarium Specimens, then try the 3-D puzzle.

Seeing is believing. Scientific Visualization, from the UCLA Library of Neuro Imaging, provides an amazing selection of images and animations of the brain, parts, and disorders to help students visualize what they are studying.

My brain and welcome to it. Neuroscience for Kids: Brain Development explains how the brain develops before birth. How does your brain grow?, part of the Your Brain exhibit at England’s online Science Museum, is a detailed, fascinating exploration of how the brain wires itself. Brain and Behavior (Serendip) has lots of brain games and activities that help students understand the connection between brain and behavior, as well as plenty of resources for teachers.

Probe deeper into the mysteries of the human brain. You’ll find plenty of resources at the Science Friday Kids’ Connection pages:

Déjà vu---Been There, Done That (August 4, 2006, Hour Two)
Making False Memories (February 4, 2005, Hour Two)
September 24, 2004, Hour One: Making Memories
Oliver Sacks, Music, and Memory (December 30, 2005, Hour Two)
May 21, 2004, Hour One: The Developing Brain

Use the search box below to perform a Google search within any of the specifc sites or general domains mentioned in this Activities section.

Hear the Program

RealAudio format (courtesy NPR Online)
Windows Media format (courtesy NPR Online)
mp3 download (Science Friday Podcast)