neuroplasticity

• the brain is not a static organ, and the functions and processes of the brain can change as a result of experience and injury
• during infancy, the brain experiences a rapid growth in the number of synaptic connections (15,000 by the time we are 3)
• as we age, we do not use these connections, so they are deleted. Frequently used connections are strengthened, which is known as synaptic pruning
• this can occur at any time, neural connections can change or new neural connections can be formed as a result of learning and experience