The Most Influential Book for Me by Sydney

The Most Influential Book for Me by Sydney - May 2017 Scholarship Essay

Our brains are intricate works of art. For many years scientists have believed in a term called “localization in the brain”. However, this term that has been the definitive answer for many decades is being proven wrong by another term called brain plasticity. This is the knowledge that our brains are able to still experience significant changes in our neuronal pathways even after they are done developing. The Brain That Changes Itself written by Norman Doidge is a book that has influenced me in a way that no other book has. This book has inspired me to help people struggling with mental incapacities and has given me the hope that one day I will be able to create a program that not only helps these people live a better life but also will alter their brain in a way that makes this possible.

While reading this book, I not only found some surprising and amazing facts, but the gears in my head began to spin. What if I was capable of coming up with a program that helped autistic or brain damaged individuals ranging from children to adults lead a more sustainable life? Much research has already been done on this topic of brain plasticity and the findings are incredible! Activity based plasticity has shown to improve our learning skills, motor functions, and memory. The changes these activities could do to the brain could be as small as a change in individual neurons to larger-scale changes such as cortical remapping. We could potentially take an individual who has suffered from brain damage and teach their brain to create new neuronal pathways or even teach the still functioning part of their brain to make up for the parts of their brain that were lost.

This theory is kind of like teaching a baby how to first speak, walk, or use their senses. We reteach the brain how to do certain activities that were lost because of brain damage or mental incapacities. For example, a scientist believing in neuroplasticity tied a stroke victim’s good arm to his body, effectively making him unable to use his good arm. In forcing this stroke patient to use his arm that was affected by the stroke, the right side of his brain rewired itself to make up for the left part of the brain that was lost. This enabled him to once again have use of his left arm.

I am currently headed to NOVA to pursue a career as a radiology technician. My goal is to one day be able to use what I’ll learn when it comes to imaging and further my education in the field of brain science. This will ensure that one day I will have the technology and knowledge to lead a program in neuroplasticity.