Brain Plasticity – Adaptive or Maladaptive?
Our brains remain plastic throughout our lifespans, meaning they are constantly changing, in coordination with the body, depending upon the environment (Dinse, 2021). We make new ties and break old ties among our neurotransmitters that communicate essential information that keeps us alive and moving. When our brains (and our accompanying nervous system) change in healthy ways that allows us to function well and thrive, this is considered adaptation. Conversely, when our brains change in ways that disallow us from functioning well or thriving, we refer to this as “maladaptation,” and this is where we encounter problems (Perrotta, 2021).