The Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis hosts a wonderful temporary exhibit highlighting the medical illustrations of neuroplasticity pioneer Santiago Ramon y Cajal. Titled The Beautiful Brain: The Drawings of Santiago Ramn y Cajal, it will remain open until May 21st, 2017.

Who was Ramon y Cajal? Why does his research matter?

Well, let's start with the concept of neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity--or brain plasticity-- refers to the brain's ability to change throughout life, to rewire itself based on experience. The human brain has an amazing ability to reorganize itself by generating new neurons and by forming new connections between neurons.

It was believed for a long time that, as we got older, the brain became "fixed." Now we know that the brain never stops changing, and that neuroplasticity is the capacity of the brain to change with learning, and that's why there's so much interest and hope around ways to harness that neuroplasticity to lead better lives, to enhance our brains, to delay brain health decline.

And Ramon y Cajal was one of the first scientists to see this and to create the foundations of modern neuroscience.

Fortunately for us he wrote a fascinating memoir--titled "Recollections of My Life"--so we gain peak directly into his research and thinking.

Since he said, "Every man can, of he so desires, become the sculptor of his own brain," thereby emphasizing what we now call lifelong neuroplasticity, let's see what he had in mind by discussing some other things he had to say in his book--published exactly 100 years ago, in 1917:

My comment: Here he shows a strong and hopeful belief in neuroplasticity, even if he couldn't prove it then scientifically.

My comment: Want to encourage neuroplasticity? Go and live in a new city or country for a while.

My comment: Beautiful display of the scientific mindset.

My comment: What a display of wisdomwhat a display of a beautifully-sculpted brain.

And a final reflection to wrap-up this article: What will we think and do about neuroplasticity 100 years from now, in 2117?

-- Alvaro Fernandez is the co-author of The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness: How to Improve Brain Health and Performance at Any Age. SharpBrains.com is a popular blog tracking the latest on neuroplasticity, cognitive health and brain fitness, combined with fun brain teasers and games to help adults sharpen their minds.

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Neuroplasticity as seen by neuroscience pioneer Santiago Ramn y Cajal 100 years ago - Huffington Post