Is the concept of brain plasticity new? Is it broadly accepted in the science community?
A few decades ago, most scientists believed that the brain became “hard wired” within the first year or so of life and its structure or abilities could not be changed. One of the founders of Posit Science, Dr. Michael Merzenich, and other scientists working in this field began challenging this belief. Their research suggested that the brain was actually plastic – that it constantly remodeled itself in response to everyday events or stimuli. This adaptability or malleability of the brain has become known as neuroplasticity or brain plasticity. During the last 10 years, the neuroscience community has undergone a major shift in thinking, and there is now widespread consensus that most brain systems are highly plastic throughout life.
