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 / Modified sep 1, 2017 10:08 a.m.

Episode 94: How Life Experiences Shape Brain Circuity

Why is it easier for children to learn new information than it is for adults?

AZSCI Brain circuitry Dr. Shaowen Bao, Ph.D. discusses his research into brain circuitry on this week's Arizona Science.

Dr. Shaowen Bao, Ph.D. discusses how life experiences affect brain circuitry in this web excerpt from this week's episode. (VIDEO: Paulina Bueno)

Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change at any age, specifically during early life. Brain circuits are shaped by early experiences. Neural pathways allow us to learn new things and memorize new information. This flexibility has an important role in our brain development and after a certain age, this "critical period" ends. Dr. Bao uses the mouse auditory system to explore how plasticity occurs. The main goal of this research is to find different methods to artificially re-create high levels of plasticity that may help correct developmental brain disorders in adults.

In this episode:

Shaowen Bao, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology
Leslie P. Tolbert, Ph.D., Regents’ Professor in Neuroscience

Arizona Science
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