What is brain plasticity?

Find out how your brain can change and what you can do to make it happen.

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Brain plasticity — also called neuroplasticity — is an odd term for most people, with the word “plastic” causing images of Tupperware or Saran Wrap to pop into your head.

However, brain plasticity is a common term used by neuroscientists, referring to the brain’s ability to change at any age — for better or worse.  

As you would imagine, this flexibility plays an incredibly important role in our brain development (or decline) and in shaping our distinct personalities. The science of neuroplasticity and the brain is the basis of our clinically proven brain training exercises.

How the brain changes

Brain plasticity science is the study of a physical process. Gray matter can actually shrink or thicken; neural connections can be forged and refined or weakened and severed. Changes in the physical brain manifest as changes in our abilities.

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You might be eligible for no-cost brain training with BrainHQ.

Access to BrainHQ’s brain exercises may be included with your Medicare Advantage plan at no additional cost. Check your eligibility.

For example, each time we learn a new dance step, it reflects a change in our physical brains: new “wires” (neural pathways) that give instructions to our bodies on how to perform the step. Each time we forget someone’s name, it also reflects brain change — “wires” that once connected to the memory have been degraded, or even severed.

As these examples show, changes in the brain can result in improved skills (a new dance step) or a weakening of skills (a forgotten name).

Looking for more ways to build a healthy brain? Try BrainHQ, a brain training program designed by leading scientists that rewires the brain to help you think faster, focus better, and remember more. And it may be included at no cost with your Medicare Advantage plan. Check your eligibility today