Plastic brain

Yesterday during a lecture by a neurosurgeon (about traumatic brain injury) he talked a bit about brain plasticity. This means that our brain is not static. In fact it continues to develop neuronal connections continuously depending on how much we stimulate it through learning. If you don't stimulate it, the connections die/disappear. That's why you forget, become senile etc2.

His quote that made everyone laugh:

I don't know why everyone says playing Soduku improves brain function. Playing lots of Soduku will only have one outcome: You will be better at playing Soduku.

Kelakar sangat. Especially the way he said it.

So the take home message was the brain doesn't become "better" or "improved" by anything per se. But rather you become better at doing something the more repetitive you do it. Because with repetition the brain solidifies the neuronal connections, perfects eye hand coordination and other things required for you to be good at something. Sounds familiar? Practice makes perfect.

Doing lots of Math exercises won't make you more intelligent. But it will make you better at Math.

Which reminds me. I must exercise the neuronal connections keeping (parts of) the Quran in my brain!

Narrated Abu Musa: The Prophet said, "Keep on reciting the Quran, for, by Him in Whose Hand my life is, The Quran runs away (is forgotten) faster than camels that are released from their tying ropes. (Bukhari)