{"id":3782,"date":"2020-02-07T17:39:27","date_gmt":"2020-02-07T17:39:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ttconf.org\/journal\/?p=3782"},"modified":"2020-10-07T19:00:37","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T19:00:37","slug":"neuroplasticity-2-0-enhancing-brain-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ttconf.org\/journal\/2020\/02\/07\/neuroplasticity-2-0-enhancing-brain-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Neuroplasticity 2.0: Enhancing Brain Change"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The holy grail of human potential is unlocking neuroplasticity. Put in simpler terms, how do we get adult brains to be as \u201csponge-like\u201d as kid brains? We now know more than ever about the neural mechanisms that underlie accelerated brain change, but unlocking that dormant potential and reproducing it at scale will be one of the great feats of the neurotech community.<\/p>\n

While there are many forces that influence neuroplasticity, this six-article series will focus on six separate areas that have been shown to increase neuroplasticity and what technologies are leading in each space. The first five \u201cbrain HACKS\u201d are like levers, the research suggests, that anyone can pull to increase their neuroplasticity:<\/p>\n

H = Habits<\/p>\n

A = Attention<\/p>\n

C = Challenge<\/p>\n

K = Kinetic (Movement)<\/p>\n

S = Stress Reduction<\/p>\n

The sixth article will outline a new area called\u00a0positive neuroplasticity<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 the science and tech of why the brain changes better when it feels good and how to become stably happier.<\/p>\n

Attention Is The Gateway of Neuroplasticity<\/h1>\n

We\u2019ll begin with ATTENTION \u2014 what it is, why it matters, why it increases neuroplasticity, how to train it, and what technologies are accelerating our ability to do so.<\/p>\n

Directing attention is uniquely human. In a sea of competing stimuli, attention is our ability to focus on some things and ignore others. Our ability to move our attention around like a laser beam gives us unique cognitive control over our mental life. As William James said, \u201cMy experience is what I agree to attend to.\u201d In a nutshell, our conscious experience is composed of the stuff we pay attention to \u2014 whether by default or by design.<\/p>\n

While much has been (importantly) made about bringing our attention back to the breath \u2014 that singular mental bicep curl \u2014 perhaps one of the more important, but unsung virtues of attention, is that it gives us the power to unlock neuroplasticity. Summed up simply by Prof. Ian Robertson, quoted in\u00a0The Mind and The Brain,\u00a0<\/em>by Jeffrey Schwartz and Sharon Begley,<\/p>\n

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Attention \u201ccan sculpt brain activity by turning up or down the rate at which particular sets of synapses fire. And since we know that firing a set of synapses again and again makes [them] grow\u2026stronger, it follows that attention is an important ingredient\u201d for neuroplasticity.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Not only does attention increase the rate of firing of a collection of neurons, but it turns down the volume of other neurons that don\u2019t need to be involved. As science writer Sharon Begley puts it, \u201cPaying attention physically damps down activity in neurons other than those involved in focusing on the target of your attention.\u201d In other words, it increases the signal and decreases the noise. This bears out in a number of research studies, where attention is seen, according to Prof. Michael Merzenich, as \u201cturning on the switches\u201d of neuroplasticity. The implication of this research is that not only is attention trainable, but that neuroplasticity enhancement is also trainable. As you get good at one, you get good at the other.<\/p>\n

Training Attention and Neuroplasticity<\/h1>\n

Training attention dates back thousands of years. It has many origins, not least in Buddhism, where it grew up originally in India and spread throughout South, Southeast, and East Asia. Because of the efforts of neuroscientists such as Prof. Richard Davidson, among many others, meditation and mindfulness have gained renewed scientific attention in the West over the past few decades. As meditation has increased in popularity and mindfulness has become something of a global buzzword, one of the many ways it has been conceptualized is as \u201cattention training.\u201d This type of attention training has been an antidote to the stressful culture of modern life. But, perhaps more importantly, it has renewed an interest in our ability to more intentionally observe, direct, and harness our attention, and thereby increase our ability to flip our neuroplasticity switches to \u201con.\u201d While most meditation apps don\u2019t market themselves as neuroplasticity enhancers, this is exactly what they are. But they aren\u2019t the only ones.<\/p>\n

Neuroplasticity-Enhancing Technologies:<\/h1>\n

Mindfulness Apps<\/h2>\n

Mindfulness apps were the early leaders in the neurotech attention space. With\u00a0Calm\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0billion-dollar\u00a0valuation<\/a>\u00a0and $143 million in\u00a0funding<\/a>, they\u2019ve garnered not just the attention of the public, but also the attention of investors.\u00a0Headspace<\/a>\u00a0has received 168.2 Million in\u00a0funding<\/a>\u00a0to date and is the other major competitor. But others have come on the scene and are offering different experiences for different audiences. While most of them don\u2019t have the reach of\u00a0Calm<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Headspace<\/a>, their markets are growing. People report enjoying the simplicity of\u00a0Insight Timer<\/a>.\u00a0Aura<\/a>\u00a0has tried to differentiate itself by expanding its market to include emotional health and sleep. The\u00a010% Happier App<\/a>\u00a0has a devoted following of self-described skeptics. Sam Harris\u2019s\u00a0Waking Up<\/a>\u00a0has big fans such as Tim Ferriss and Susan Cain.\u00a0Buddhify<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Simple Habit<\/a>\u00a0target busy lifestyles and meditation on the run. One of my favorite newcomers on the block that has seen a surge of signups this past year is\u00a0Bright Mind<\/a>, that tailors your meditation experience through customized instruction and utilizes the wisdom of teachers such as Shinzen Young.<\/p>\n

Neuro-Feedback Technologies<\/h2>\n

Using technologies such as EEG, infrared light, and breathing sensors, neurofeedback technologies have creatively been deepening our ability to stay focused and train our attention. InteraXon, makers of\u00a0Muse<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 one of the first companies to put clinical-grade EEG sensors into a mass-market neuro-feedback product \u2014 have received 28.8 million in\u00a0funding<\/a>\u00a0to date. They\u2019ve recently released their third product,\u00a0Muse-S<\/a>, which has all of the meditation neurofeedback features of\u00a0Muse 2<\/a>, but uses EEG to deliver enhanced meditation to help you get to sleep easier.\u00a0Potential X<\/a>\u00a0is focused on getting people into flow states through a combination of EEG sensors and neurofeedback, telling you when your focus is dipping and getting you back to focus through auditory feedback.\u00a0Foci<\/a>\u00a0uses breathing patterns that are closely associated with cognitive states to give visual depictions of your different brain states throughout the day, helping you to notice and get back to states of concentration. When I met\u00a0Blueberry<\/a>\u00a0founder, John David Chibuk, he intrigued me by describing his emerging technology as \u201cmobile fMRI.\u201d\u00a0Blueberry<\/a>\u00a0does in fact measure blood oxygenation levels, but uses infrared light (instead of magnets) to do so. Their most recent product is a pair of \u201csmart glasses\u201d that measures cognitive activity in the prefrontal cortex, and help you adapt your workflow to your mental effort and cognitive exhaustion, giving suggestions for when to take a break or switch tasks in order to keep you in states of peak attention.<\/p>\n

Trans-Cranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)<\/h2>\n

tDCS is a relatively new kid on the neurotech block, but is poised to make a big impact. My favorite piece of technology in this space right now is\u00a0Zendo<\/a>.\u00a0Zendo<\/a>\u00a0uses trans-cranial direct stimulation to deepen the effects of meditation and gives you an experience that feels close to a flow state \u201con demand.\u201d Founders Prof. Bashar Badran and Prof. Baron Short have been researching the product for five years and in April 2020 are releasing their first go-to-market product. Using two patches \u2014 one above the left eye and the other on your right temple, with a non-residue gel-like backing \u2014\u00a0Zendo<\/a>\u00a0looks to be the leader in \u201ce-meditation.\u201d They\u2019ve been deep in the R&D, have done exhaustive research verifying the efficacy of the product, and have done extensive testing to make sure it\u2019s safe. Since it doesn\u2019t require meditation while using it, it also has the benefit of appealing to non-meditators who just want a little extra mental edge. I\u2019ve tried the product and it feels like meditation with the volume turned up. I was surprised by how long the effect lasted. This is definitely one worth keeping your eye on.\u00a0Foc.us<\/a>\u00a0also is worth checking out. They\u2019re passionate about tDCS and were one of the first with a go-to-market product in the tDCS attention space.<\/p>\n

The Attention (for Neuroplasticity Enhancement) Economy<\/h1>\n

Many of the technologies that have come out over the past few years have marketed themselves as technologies for problems that people know they have today: staying focused, lowering stress, getting better sleep. But as the groundswell of interest in neuroplasticity continues to grow, and we get better at understanding how things like attention affects neuroplasticity, more and more people will want to know how they can harness attention to accelerate brain change. They\u2019ll be hungry to get better at what Prof. Jeffrey Schwartz calls, \u201cself-directed neuroplasticity.\u201d What, then, will it look like to think of neuroplasticity as a \u201clearnable skill set\u201d? What will it mean to become a neural designer? And as we get better at shaping our own brain \u2014 of becoming our own neural architects \u2014 who will design the technologies that will help us get there? I think it\u2019s safe to say these companies are off to an impressive start.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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References:<\/p>\n

James, William.\u00a0Principles of Psychology, Vol. 1<\/em>. New York: Dover, 1950.<\/p>\n

Schwartz, Jeffrey M. & Begley, Sharon.\u00a0The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force<\/em>. New York: Harper Collins, 2009.<\/p>\n

Begley, Sharon.\u00a0Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves<\/em>. New York: Ballantine Books, 2007<\/p>\n

Merzenich, Michael M.\u00a0Soft-Wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life<\/em>. San Francisco: Parnassus, 2013.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Originally published at\u00a0<\/em>https:\/\/www.brainbydesign.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0on April 14, 2020.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The holy grail of human potential is unlocking neuroplasticity. Put in simpler terms, how do we get adult brains to be as \u201csponge-like\u201d as kid brains? We now know more than ever about the neural mechanisms that underlie accelerated brain change, but unlocking that dormant potential and reproducing it at scale will be one of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5,1],"tags":[75,76,74,37,32],"class_list":{"0":"post-3782","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"category-trends","9":"category-uncategorized","10":"tag-attention","11":"tag-mindfulness","12":"tag-neuroplasticity","13":"tag-neurotechnology","14":"tag-technology"},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/ttconf.org\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/0_3Hgrq-O_7RBY1UAM.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ttconf.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ttconf.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ttconf.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ttconf.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ttconf.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3782"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ttconf.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3784,"href":"https:\/\/ttconf.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3782\/revisions\/3784"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ttconf.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ttconf.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ttconf.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ttconf.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}