Could the secret to reversing brain damage be found in restoring neuroplasticity in the affected brain area?

For decades the worlds leading neuroscientists have placed an emphasis on unlocking the inner workings of the brain’s capabilities to stimulate neural plasticity in order to repair central nervous system damage.

Unlocking the puzzle to the brain’s ability to make it’s own repairs would have profound affects on the cognitive, motor, sensory and emotional damage mental health conditions like, traumatic brain injury, Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia have on neurological function.

As scientists learn the interconnectedness of what neural mechanisms are in play during brain plasticity. They set their hopes in finding ways to enhance that innate process by coming up with pharmaceuticals to further support its underlying structures.

Neural plasticity as defined by Frontiers in Cellular Neurosciences states- “neural plasticity-also known as neuroplasticity or brain plasticity-as the ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli by reorganizing its structure, functions or connections.”

Neural plasticity is a foundational property of all life forms from simple insects to the human species.

The ability to learn rapidly is often displayed in young children. Scientists always believed that an early developing brain has the most capacity to demonstrate neuroplasticity . Research now shows that even an adult brain has the capability to demonstrate brain plasticity characteristics.

The study of enhancing brain plasticity and its affect on cognitive damage could have many potential treatment implications for mental health in the future.

Potential brain plasticity enhancement results in axonal spouting - a process where surviving healthy neurons form new and fortified neurons in the surrounding damaged areas of the brain and spinal cord.

Medical science already knows how to entice tissue regeneration in periphery nerve injuries using grafts. But, unfortunately this doesn’t work for brain and spinal cord damage.

The answer lies in the idea of sprouting- where living healthy neurons in the nearby damaged brain areas take over to compensate for the dead nerves. It’s been observed that one healthy sprouting neuron can take over for ten dead or inactive neurons.

According to DR. Jerry Silver, a professor in the Department of Neurosciences at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine, and co-inventor and adviser at NervGen Pharma, “ plasticity is mediated by sprouting-which is all about the short range reconnections of circuits in areas of the brain the have undergone damage through injury or disease, such as dementia. The ability of the surviving neurons to achieve significantly improved functionality by expanding into the space of the dead or dysfunctional neurons is what makes sprouting so powerful.”

The research team discovered that chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPG’s) are molecules that inhibit neurons to naturally sprout when joined with a neural receptor PTPo.

Improving neural plasticity would have a huge impact on those recovering from physical brain and spinal cord injuries.

In a time where 1.7 million Americans suffer from traumatic brain injuries (TBI) a year and with a lack of therapeutic care for these type patients. Helping the body to naturally assist in how it is designed to heal itself could help stroke victims to recover the use of paralyzed limbs, Alzheimer’s patients regain their memories and those with TBI’s to regain functionality and improve their lives.

These are all good goals to strive towards with our medical research and other supportive therapeutic caregiving modalities.

As a neurofeedback specialist, I can’t help but feel that the care our community has been giving over the past 30 years is centered around striving to push this technology as far as it can to integrate with the brain and do its part in the enhancement of neuroplasticity.

As far as a non-pharmacological approach, I cannot think of a better and more natural treatment for TBI than neurofeedback. I have witnessed many of my brain injured clients regain much of their functioning back in a relatively short span of time.

Neurofeedback seems to work around the blockages that are brought on by the intrinsic and extrinsic stressors within the brain. Neurofeedback helps assist the body to regain function by stimulating the damaged and surrounding areas to bring blood supply and chemical support needed to activate the sprouting process. So, the glial cells that support the neurons and the dendrites necessary for communication can proliferate, repair and become more robust in time.

So, in essence what western medical science is attempting to do via the pharmaceutical intervention method. The neurofeedback therapist is hard at work facilitating the brain to do naturally with the help of EEG brainwave technology. Here, the patient uses their own bioelectrical neuro-activity along with a subliminal radio-wave frequency to disrupt and reactivate the identified damaged regions and reset itself through intermittent and intervallic treatments. Each approach has its strengths and weaknesses in how they attempt to deal with TBI and CNS damaged patients.

I believe that if the medical science establishment would ever join hands with the neurofeedback community in looking at brain plasticity by accepting a broader scope of practice. The current treatment protocols for TBI’s and spinal cord injuries would be dramatically changed forever and those who are suffering would stand to benefit the most.

-A Balanced Brain is a Better Brain-