06/25/2009 - 11:24am

Brain Plasticity- It’s Never Too Late to Learn a New Skill

A study conducted at Oxford University showed that brain configuration actually undergoes physical changes when a person learns a new skill.

Scientists at Oxford studied people who were learning to do a three-ball juggle. They did brain imaging of what is called “white-matter tracts,” the wiring connections within the brain. This wiring underwent physical changes, that possibly reflect increase in myelination, the insulating material that keeps the wiring between brain cells working. Furthermore, these changes took place in the brain regions that are involved in hand-eye coordination. The results suggest that the reconfiguration occurs during learning even among adults. So the good news is that it is never too late to learn juggling- or any other new activity to keep your brain cells firing the way they should!