THE PLASTICITY OF THE BRAIN大脑的可塑性

Brain itself operates like a muscle— atrophying from disuse and increasing in capacity with active use, even late in life.

大脑跟肌肉的运作模式一样，使用不恰当会萎缩，积极使用促进其能力提升，即使在晚年。

As neurologist Richard Restak puts it: “No matter how old you may be at this moment, it’s never too late to change your brain for the better. That’s because the brain is different from every other organ in our body. While the liver and the lungs and the kidneys wear out after a certain number of years, the brain gets sharper the more it’s used. Indeed it improves with use.”

如神经学家Richard Restak所说，无论你现在年龄如何，持续优化大脑永远不晚。这是因为大脑跟其它器官不同，例如肝脏、肺、肾脏随着年龄会逐渐损耗，而大脑却随着使用日益敏锐。

Loss of memory is the most common complaint that people over the age of forty bring to neurologists. Far more often than not, the explanation is not disease, but rather the failure to actively keep the mind engaged, and the resulting atrophy of the “muscles” of memory. As we get older, and exercise these muscles less, the challenge of learning a new language or a new skill tends to be more difficult and frustrating. To avoid discomfort (and in some cases humiliation) our inclination is to give up. The result is that the avoidable deterioration of our capacity continues.

40岁以上的人经常向神经科医生提出的问题是记忆力衰退，这个问题通常不是疾病引起的，而是思维不够活跃地使用引起的，这导致大脑“肌肉”的萎缩。随着年龄增加，大脑肌肉的锻炼减少，学习新语言或技能的挑战增加，这会引起挫折感。为了避免不适感（有时是羞辱），这时人们容易放弃，结果是原本可以避免的大脑退化却加重了。

“Every time you learn something new it builds new connections to the brain cells,” says Margery Silver, assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and associate director of the New England Centenarian study, “That way if you do have a few changes—a few plaques and tangles associated with Alzheimer’s and a few brain cells become damaged, you still have a reserve because of all these additional connections you built up.” Put another way, continuing to challenge the brain protects us from decline as we age. Just as learning a new sport forces us to build new muscles and to use our bodies in different ways, so learning new computer skills, or taking a new course, or even learning a few new words of vocabulary each day pushes us to develop the mental muscles that serve performance.

“每当人们学习新事物时，大脑细胞都会建立新的联结。”哈佛医学院心理学助理教授、新英格兰百岁老人研究副总监Margery Silver说。“即便你已经出现老化的变化，如牙菌斑、与阿兹海默症相关的神经纤维缠结、部分大脑细胞受损，你仍旧可以通过建立新联结来挽救。”换句话说，持续挑战大脑能够预防老龄带来的退化。犹如学习新的体育活动会帮助我们建立新的肌肉，锻炼不同的身体部位一样，学习新的电脑技能、新课程、甚至每天记几个新单词都能帮助我们锻炼思维肌肉，为更好的表现服务。

我的思考My Thinking

大脑具有可塑性，用进废退，这一重要的信息为大脑升级提供了科学的依据。在精力管理的过程中，大脑主要负责思维方面，通过劳逸结合的锻炼，可以强化大脑思维、延缓衰老。经常使用大脑可以提升大脑的认知水平，并且大脑跟其它的肌肉不一样，其它的肌肉会随着年龄的增加而不断萎缩，但大脑有可能越来发达。

Brain is plastic and decreases due to disuse. This important information provides scientific evidence to brain upgrade. Brain is responsible for mental capability in Energy management and we can improve by using & relaxing which can also prolong aging. Intensive use of brain will improve cognitive capability. Not as other muscles which deteriorate as aging, brain can be more developed if used properly.

我一直在想人和人都是人，为什么差别那么大，我觉得差别就在大脑，外现其思维模式、行为模式都不一样，大脑又容易忘记，所以一定要进行记录和反思，这是我有待加强的地方。

I have been thinking why people are so different as human being. I believe the answer lies in brain whose external expression is mindset, behavior modes. Bran is inclined to poor memory, so record and refection is mandatory and this is one my opportunity for improvement.