Another advantage of being a picture thinker: sensory experience turns out to be rewarding! We already knew that the brain forms itself according to how we use it and the circumstances we live in. The senses play a big role. Every good pedagogue knows that sensory experience enhances learning. Good to see that science proves them right: Max Planck Florida Institute Study shows that
persistent sensory experience is good for the aging brain.
"Despite a long-held scientific belief that much of the wiring of the brain is fixed by the time of adolescence, a new study shows that changes in sensory experience can cause massive rewiring of the brain, even as one ages. In addition, the study found that this rewiring involves fibers that supply the primary input to the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain that is responsible for sensory perception, motor control and cognition. These findings promise to open new avenues of research on brain remodeling and aging."
Published in the May 24, 2012 issue of Neuron, the study was conducted by researchers at the Max Planck Florida Institute (MPFI) and at Columbia University in New York.
http://www.maxplanckflorida.org/press.html?newsid=129
