Bliss English Club

Host: Antonio

Attendees: Peter, Mike, Uncle Ting, Eric, Annie, Ellen, Antonio

Meeting photo link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/MYnvvGxf3QKZCT1E9

Meeting started…

Our informative host, Antonio proceeded the meeting comprehensively and fluently as before. First in warm-up session, we had a sharing about how COVID-19 affected us and we found some new behaviors formed during “Anti-COVID-19 period” as follows:

1. Personal Hygienic habits such as wearing masks and washing hands become daily routines
2. In fear of cluster infection, enterprises develop “staggered working hours”, “video conferencing” or “conferencing call”; people keep social distancing; it also triggers emerging “Delivery Industry”.
3. People come into consensus that “personal defense of “COVID-19” for the sake of others in the world due to “Global village” makes any impacts world-wise.
4. Taiwan Government Staff showed herself as most successful Anti COVID-19  model in the world, and thus boomed up Taiwanese national identity then!

Antonio’s summary for the meeting:

Although we had a clear ppt presentation and thorough discussion, our devoted host, Antonio made a summary for us to have better understanding and review. We appreciate so much for his support and consideration!

What is neuroplasticity?

1. The brain can change throughout our life; it is shaped and adaptable

2. The billions of neural paths light up when you think/feel/do something

3. By building and strengthening new paths and weakening old paths is the way to make nervous plasticity

4. Four types of neuroplasticity, known as

a. homologous area adaption 

b. compensatory masquerade

c. cross-modal reassignment

d. map expansion

The pros and cons

1.Listening to Mozart music for at least 10-15 minutes showed significantly increased spatial reasoning skills

2.Neuroplasticity can aid brain recovery after the damage produced by events like

stroke or traumatic injury.

3.Avoidance causes anxiety to spiral out of control, and we can rewire the neural

pathways to feel safe and secure

4.Learning a second language increases the density of grey matter in the left inferior parietal cortex and that the degree of structural reorganization in this region is modulated by the proficiency attained and the age at acquisition.

5.Compared with bus drivers, taxi drivers had greater gray matter volume in

mid-posterior hippocampi and less volume in anterior hippocampi.

The neuroplasticity and the aging

1.Older people learned a visual task just as well as younger. However, white matter is changed in older people, while gray matter in younger.

2.Dancing induces significant increase in gray matter volume in the left precentral gyrus. Volume increases in the parahippocampal region were observed in the dancers

3.Challenging leisure activities activate core cognitive processes may prove to be more effective than computer-based training. Besides, the effect of cognitive training is durable over time, but relatively limited to transfer to other cognitive domains.

Professional Suggestion on “Delay Aging Process”

1. Engaged in some activities enjoyable for certain time of the day such as 20’ walk, dancing, gardening or “Bliss meetings”.
2. The activities feature attainable, sustainable and durable from easy to hard.

Attendees’ feedback:

1. Thank you, Antonio. From today’s meeting, I learned that “grey matter” mostly exist in “cell body” and in surface place of the brain which obviously are fresh in “young people” while “white matter” in deeper place and dendrites connected with “Synapses” which “life experiences” can activate more in “older people”. I also learned how 4 activities in neurons act in our brains which are “neurogenesis”, “new synapses, strengthened synapse, and weakened synapses. The research becomes significant to me because old people can learn well through “Synapses” connected with life experiences. We, young or old, can form new habits via “strengthened “new synapses” and drop our “bad habits” via the weakened “old synapses”.

2. I would like also share this important slide with you ,which I notice in myself after turning age of 40 , I started to have a NEW capability ,which is making connection of everything back to myself of what I heard, saw , and experienced I often wondering why and discuss this with several of Bliss good friends , and now it makes everything so clear to me after Antonio's explanation of this slide Our brain will generate more neurons and new synapses while we learn new skill and keep practicing repetitively ,then our brain will change , the process called " Neuroplasticity ". In conclusion, try to " give feedbacks" as more as possible toward every person/everything that touches you, inspires you and guess what, it will not only change your brain gradually but also the counter person's 🤗🤗

Reflections:

It is a resourceful -ever meeting in Bliss history! From the “brain study” perspective, Antonio took us into the mysterious sphere under the scalp, the cognitive part of learning process. No wonder, all the attendees asks Antonio for more information after the meeting. We look forward to his knowledgeable meeting soon next time. Stay Tune.