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Thinking, Sensing & Behaving
Aging
Brain Development
Childhood & Adolescence
Diet & Lifestyle
Emotions, Stress & Anxiety
Hearing
Language
Learning & Memory
Movement
Pain
Sleep
Smell
Taste
Thinking & Awareness
Touch
Vision
See All
Diseases & Disorders
Addiction
Alzheimer's & Dementia
Cancer
Childhood Disorders
Epilepsy
Immune System Disorders
Injury
Mental Health
Neurodegenerative Disorders
Neurological Disorders A-Z
Therapies
See All
Brain Anatomy & Function
Anatomy
Body Systems
Cells & Circuits
Evolution
Genes & Molecules
See All
Neuroscience in Society
The Arts & the Brain
For Educators
Law, Economics & Ethics
Neuroscience in the News
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Tech & the Brain
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Core Concepts
How Experience Shapes Your Brain
Related Topics
How Your Brain Processes Information
Reasoning Planning and Solving Problems
Life experiences change the nervous system.
Differences in genes and environments make the brain of each animal unique.
Most neurons are generated early in development and survive for life.
Some injuries harm nerve cells, but the brain often recovers from stress, damage, or disease.
Continuously challenging the brain with physical and mental activity helps maintain its structure and function - "use it or lose it."
Peripheral neurons have greater ability to regrow after injury than neurons in the brain and spinal cord.
Neuronal death is a natural part of development and aging.
Some neurons continue to be generated throughout life and their production is regulated by hormones and experience.
See How Experience Shapes Your Brain
Neuroplasticity
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