Palak Patel Science of Happiness Paper #1 RCT 002

2/26/13

Neuroplasticity and Achieving My Lifelong Dream The idea of neuroplasticity seems to be an improbable feat. When this idea came about in the twentieth century, it was not met with open arms, but instead a heap of criticism regarding its implications. Neuroplasticity presents the idea that one can alter his or brain as a child and/or adult to compensate for any disabilities, trauma, limitations, or desires for improvement. Plasticity allows us to develop brains so unique in response to our individual life experiences (p. 120). The maximum abilities of our brain are still far from being unmasked, but the transition into the practice of neuroplasticity was remarkable, as it implies that the brain can change itself, in both structure and function. Despite these extraordinary advances, as Norman Doidge mentions in his book The Brain That Changes Itself, neuroplasticity also suggests that our brain is extremely vulnerable and susceptible to both the positive and the negative alterations available to our minds (p. preface). As a child I believed in the idea that change was not only possible, but also an easy thing to attain. Why is it that as we get older we lose our ability to be optimistic about ideas that arent familiar to us? I used to believe that if a person truly believed they could change, they were fully capable. As I was reading The Brain That Changes Itself I noticed that I found myself doubting the stories Doidge wrote about. Overall I would call myself a believer and as I began to understand the idea behind neuroplasticity, I began to trust that ones brain can be altered at any age. The biggest challenge Ive faced thus far, which to most may not seem like a challenge at all, is twofold: first, to gain entrance into medical school in the near future and second, to have faith in myself to motivate myself to climb through and over any obstacle that falls in my

Palak Patel Science of Happiness Paper #1 2/26/13 RCT 002 path. The change I wish to implement into my life is the ability to take my lifelong dream and make it real, motivate myself to work to one hundred percent efficiency, and not be discouraged along the way. I believe that even though the stories in Doidges book dont directly apply to my situation, there are techniques and concepts that can be applied to create a change to help me reach my end goal of being a physician. One challenge that I face is maintaining personal motivation to achieve my end goal. As mentioned in The Brain That Changes Itself, when Merzenich was bringing the word plasticity into the scientific world as a real, factual concept he received a lot of criticism and doubt for many others in his field. Torsten Wiesel had the same doubts that I had when I first learned of neuroplasticity. He believed that adults could not ascertain plasticity and that once the brain matures, it cannot change itself. That initial doubt I felt sparked by this progressive, transformative idea is due to a sense of doubt I feel in my life. Majority of people my age and beyond have an improbable skepticism that they cannot change because their brains are set in their way. The main thing that caught my eye about this incidence in the book initially was the disbelief Merzenich received from those around him. It was written that Wiesel now believes in neuroplasticity and that he was wrong. I want to prove to many of the authority figures here that they were wrong to doubt my abilities to become a physician. My intelligence has been undermined and just like Merzenich, I want to show that my capabilities and ideas should not be doubted. (p 61-62). The best way I can do this is to use stories of such innovators like Merzenich as motivation to go above and beyond despite any disbelief from other people. The biggest setback facing my challenge is my ability to motivate myself. I understand that my opportunity to gain entrance into medical school lies in the hands of

Palak Patel Science of Happiness Paper #1 2/26/13 RCT 002 how well I score on the MCAT, yet when it comes time to study I choose to watch TV or go on the Internet instead. The mental tracks that get laid down can lead to habits, good or bad (p. 209). Pascual-Leone explains that once these tracks are laid down in our brains it is possible to change, however, it is a challenging process. My bad habits involve present-day technology. Merzenich said that our brains could be remodeled by exposing ourselves to unproductive activities such as watching television and using modern technology (p. 306). My continuous TV watching, even when I know there are more productive activities I can pursue, may be detrimental to my brain and may be the source of my attentional problems. I continually tell myself that I have so much time that I will be fine, but Ive had to change my test three times to make up for not studying efficiently when I had the time. My bad habits seem to never dissipate even though each time I make myself aware of my faults, but here I am again still not studying. Merzenich discussed being able to erase bad habits and change to better conventions (p. 117). To unlearn my laziness and motivate myself to work to full efficiency is a skill that I would very much like to attain. Unlearning and weakening connections between neurons is just as plastic a process, and just as important, as learning and strengthening them (p. 117). As I grow older I understand the need to take on responsibility for all of my actions, but I think unlearning the negative is a process that I need to undergo right now in order to truly succeed in becoming a physician. The idea of purely being able to change our brains based on imagination is something I wish to apply to my own life to help me achieve better focus in my studies. To imagine something and then have a similar area of your brain activated seems like it would call for a lot of discipline and practice, but as I learned from Doidges book it is a

Palak Patel Science of Happiness Paper #1 2/26/13 RCT 002 natural phenomenon as evidenced by brain scans. After I read about that concept I began to try to use visualization as a way to improve my ability to remember things I read in my MCAT book. It became apparent to me that visualization is a technique I have been employing my whole life to memorize material for tests, remember peoples faces, and even to recall old memories from my past. The experiment conducted by Guang Yue and Kelly Cole (p. 204) about increasing muscle strength as a result of imagining using the muscle must be far-fetched. It seems extremely unlikely that someone can imagine using their muscle and actually muscle strength by a significant percentage, but the evidence is there. To be able to employ this concept to areas like self-motivation and preservation would create a largely positive effect in the lives of many. This concept could have lifechanging implications on any persons future endeavors. I understood after reading this chapter that it is not always about the physical act, but the mental practice as well, which can lead to improvements in a certain area or field of skills. The experiment conducted by Pascual-Leone employing mental practice I believe could be applied to my inability to focus sometimes (p. 201). If I could implement the concept of mental practice into my study schedule and do the MCAT reviews mentally in my brain over and over again, maybe it will help me be better at focusing physically on the tasks. My exposure to constant media and technology is affecting my brain plasticity negatively and that is my motivation to limit the time I use electronics. Getting a good score on the MCAT will not only improve my confidence but also realign my faith that I am very much capable of achieving a difficult goal. Ive realized through these readings that I am creating my own obstacles and in order to

Palak Patel Science of Happiness Paper #1 2/26/13 RCT 002 remove them, gradually, I need to imagine myself studying for the test, limiting my TV exposure, and allowing my brain the chance to change in a positive direction.