5000 Synapses in the Width of a Hair

5000 Synapses in the Width of a Hair


How much change in the brain makes
a difference in the mind?


5000 Synapses
That's the issue raised by a very interesting comment regarding my previous blog, "The Brain in a Bucket."

So I've taken the liberty of posting the comment here (hoping that's OK in blog etiquette; still learning as I go), and then responding. Here it is:

“I was pondering your statement that long-term meditators show a thickening in certain areas of the brain. As I understand it, the volume of the skull is fixed in adults. This would seem to require that if one part thickens, another part must be reduced. I am curious as to whether anyone has considered what the implications of a loss of volume in these other areas might be. I enjoyed your article, and look forward to more on the topic of neurology and meditation.”

While the size of the skull is indeed fixed in adulthood, we can both lose gray matter volume due to the normal effects of aging and gain it through mental training of one kind or another. For instance, one study showed that the hippocampus (really hippocampi, since there is one on each side of the brain, but convention is usually to refer to neural regions in the singular), of London taxi drivers is thicker after their training, which makes sense since the hippocampus is deeply involved with spatial memory.


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But the size of these changes in volume is very small, so they do not "bump up against" the skull. For example, the increased thickness in the brains of meditators - seen in one of the cooler studies in this field - amounted to about 1/200th of an inch. This may not seem like much but is a BIG change in the density of synaptic networks when
you can fit about 5000 synapses in the width of a human hair.

The point is that small changes in daily activities - meditating instead of sleeping in, driving a cab instead of working in an office - can make changes in the brain that seem small but actually create big changes in the mind. And that fact opens the door to amazing opportunities.

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Your Wise Brain


Rick Hanson
Practical insights
into happiness,
love, and wisdom
from psychology, neuroscience, and Buddhism.


Rick Hanson, Ph.D.
is a neuropsychologist, author, and teacher at the intersection of psychology, neurology, and contemplative practice. He co-founded the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom and edits the Wise Brain Bulletin. He is first author of Mother Nurture and an authority on how the arrival of children affects mothers, fathers, and marriages.

The promise of his latest book, Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom joins modern science with ancient teachings to show you how you can change your brain and change your life.
Your Wise Brain originally published on PsychologyToday.com Republished w/ permission of Rick Hanson

www.RickHanson.net
www.WiseBrain.org
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