A Battle For The Mind

A battle for the mind (neuroplasticity, behavior and addiction)

Like any other organ of the body the brain is composed of millions of cells that work together to perform its various functions. And the basic functional unit of the brain are cells called neurons. These neurons interact with each other using electrical impulses generated from one cell to the next. In between neurons are gaps called synapses and the electrical impulses (messages or information) are carried across these gaps by chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. Communications between neurons are important in that each connection facilitates a function. These connections between neurons are called neuralpathways, and each neuropathway can represent something as simple as a memory or something as complex as a habit or skill.

Each information that enters the brain is recorded in the brain in form of a neuropathway and the formation of neuropathways or rewiring of already existing neuropathways in essence is what we call neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is a broad topic but in this blog I’ll be looking at how it affects behavior and its association to the genesis and maintenance of addiction.

Whenever something new is learned (e.g. information, skill or habit) the brain changes, in that a new neuro path or circuitry is created. The brain is therefore constantly changing based on the information that is being fed to it through our senses, you taste a new food, a neural pathway is created and it is strengthened every time to taste or think of that food (more stands are being added to the original stand to make it thicker so to say). You listen to a new song, a neural pathway is created and its strengthened every time you listen to that song or try to replay it in your mind.

For the purpose of this article neuroplasticity can occur in two ways, which are chemical and structural. let’s take for example learning a new skill which is drum playing. The first day you learn that skill you start out poorly and during that same day you can improve during that rehearsal session to the extent where one will feel as if they have mastered the skill but the next day when the rehearsal starts you might not be as good as you were the previous day when the rehearsal ended. To support learning the brain will increase the amount of chemicals (neurotransmitters) or concertation between brain cells (neurons). This transient increase in learning ability or skill is explained by the chemical neuroplasticity which is an increase in the amount of chemicals released during repeated rehearsal during that first session. But the chemical plasticity is short lived, it only supports short term memory or short term improvement in the performance of a motor skill, it is not permanent. But after 100s of hours of practice one becomes good because there is a structural change in the brain where the neural pathway that was created the first time you tried, is strengthened each time you rehearse. That is why studies show that people who read brail (These are individuals who are blind and use their hands to read) have larger hand sensory arears than people who don’t. because a larger area of the brain has been dedicated or built over time by constant rehearsal (I guess really practice does make perfect).

Every time something is done or experienced, a new neuro path is created in the brain, it is literally a physical wiring of neurons that symbolizes that action or experience. Every time the action or situation is repeated that neural pathway becomes stronger or bigger in size, because a new strand is added to that existing path. For example, when a child goes to school and learn multiplication, every time that he practices multiplication he becomes better at it because literally speaking more strands are being added to the initial neural pathway of multiplication. The limbic system comes into play (the limbic system controls emotions), in that it increases the intensity of an action or experience. There are various forms of long term memory but the most detailed one is a flashbulb memory which is strong due to its link to the limbic system or emotions. So when an action is being performed or an event is being experienced and there are strong emotions involved or there is a strong sensory stimulation involved, the neural pathway that is being created in the brain is very strong due to its intensity (car accident, loss of a loved one, wedding day etc.).

imagine if you give a wrong answer in class and the whole class explodes in laughter, believe you me, you will never get it wrong again because of the emotion of shame involved. So the intensity or thickness of a neural pathway is influenced by the limbic system or strength of the emotion involved when the neural pathway is being created. Neuroplasticity is driven by our behavior, the information we feed our brains through our various senses will determine the shape of our brain (both literally and figuratively).

BEHAVIOUR

The senses cannot be controlled in that they are only capable of perceiving that which is obvious. If you walk into a room you might perceive that the room is cold, dark, noisy or that something smells bad in the room, you dint tell your senses those things it’s your senses that told you those things, you might walk out of the room but ultimately you cannot control your senses, because we are surrounded by a vast amount of information which is relayed to us by our senses and we can’t choose which information is relayed to us, we only receive the information. what we can control however, is the amount of information that is fed into our brain, what activities we dell on and theses are ultimately what will determine our behavior. Behavior is defined in psychology as an organism’s activities in response to external or internal stimuli, including objectively observable activities, introspectively observable activities, and no conscious processes. Or more restrictively, any action or function that can be objectively observed or measured in response to controlled stimuli. Our response to stimuli is governed by the amount of information we have in our brain, whether consciously or unconsciously.

We have determined that the amount or type of information that we feed our brains literally and figuratively changes the shape of our brain and ultimately influences our reaction to stimuli (behavior).

ADDICTION

This brings new light to the aspect of addiction, every time a habit is practiced it strengthens its impact on the brain and behavior, how many times have you heard an addict say “I dint mean to, I couldn’t control myself”. Every time a bottle of alcohol is consumed it strengthens the addiction because a thicker neural pathway is created and even if you try to stop. A mare song, shape of a glass or emotion can be a trigger to want to drink alcohol. Because mind you when the neuro path of alcohol was being created or strengthened daily, a flood of information was being fed into the brain also, the song that was playing in the bar, the friend you were with, the shape of the glass you were drinking, all these being associated to that moment and the pleasure being experienced (that’s if there is even pleasure in alcohol). That is why as one is trying to recover the playing of a particular song can cause you to relapse because it stimulates a strong neural pathway that already exists. It makes sense why certain rehab facilities isolate addicts from their usual environment. And it comes to reason that if one is trying to stop practicing an activity that they were addicted to its better to stay away from triggers or things that one can associate to the past life. Most Addictive habits are easily built in a short period of time due to their strong stimulation of the senses and emotion which increases the intensity (call it thickness of a neural pathway) that is created. STAY TUNED TO MY BLOG AS I WILL IN FUTER DISCUSS THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF ADDICTION (focusing on alcoholism and opioid addiction)

This discussion brings new light to the phrase “by beholding we become”, we must therefore be careful with the information that we feed our brains. A study was done some years ago by the APA which showed that an average American youth will witness 200,000 violent acts on television before age 18 (and that was in 1900s what more today??). It is no secret that movies of nowadays have three major themes which are SEX, VIOLENCE and some form of NECROMANCY in one way or another and children’s movies (if there is even such a thing) are no exception. When such things are being fed into the brain the subconscious cannot differentiate what is real or not, and will reproduce that which it is being fed. Whether consciously or subconsciously we are being affected by what we feed our minds and when we see news of teenagers getting guns and shooting up schools and killing dozens or when we see young boys and girls addicted to sex and all forms of immorality we shouldn’t be surprised……by beholding we become.

“wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;” 1 peter 1:13

“The light of the body is the eye: therefore, when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light” Luke 11:34-36.

REFERENCES

1. Dr. Joseph Murphy, (2001). The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, Bantam Books, ISBN 0-553-58318-2es: Subconsciente

2. Bargh, J. A., & Chartrand, T. L. (1999). The unbearable automaticity of being. American psychologist, 54(7), 462.

3. Chomsky, N. (1972). Language and mind. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

4. Freud, S. (1915). The unconscious. SE, 14: 159-204.

5. Freud, S. (1924). A general introduction to psychoanalysis, trans. Joan Riviere.

6. Stroop, J. R. (1935). Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of experimental psychology, 18(6), 643.

7. Wilson, T. D. (2004). Strangers to ourselves. Harvard University Press.

8. McLeod, S. A. (2015). Unconscious mind. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/unconscious-mind.html

9. American Psychological Association. Violence & youth: psychology’s response. Volume I: summary report of the American Psychological Association Commission on Violence and Youth. 1993