Chapter 04 of 5
The Plastic Mind
How repetitive firing physically reconfigures your brain's hardware.
- The Core Concept
Malleable Architecture
The brain isn't a fixed circuit board. It is 'plastic,' meaning synapses constantly change their strength based on activity.
- Hebbian Theory
Firing Together
Psychologist Donald Hebb famously proposed that neurons that fire together, wire together. Persistent activity strengthens the connection.
- The Mechanism
Long-Term Potentiation
Known as LTP, this process is the long-lasting increase in signal transmission between two neurons after high-frequency stimulation.
17 more cards in this chapter
Could you answer this?
What is the primary role of the NMDA receptor in synaptic plasticity?
🧠 The Secret Life of the Synapse
- 01The Spark at the GateMaster the action potential and the voltage-gated sentinels of the axon.
- 02The Vesicle WaltzWitness the millisecond machinery of neurotransmitter release.
- 03Crossing the ChasmDecode the chemical bridge where molecules meet their receptors.
- 04The Plastic MindHow repetitive firing physically reconfigures your brain's hardware.
- 05The Fragile BridgeWhen the chemistry of consciousness fails: from shadows to silence.