Learning
Audio from the
show HIPPOCAMPUS
Narrated by Dr Fiona Kerr
We are a work in progress, a wonderful complex system with neurons that act as novelty detectors and delight in being stimulated by the new. And the Hippocampus is truly amazing as it is one of the only areas in the brain where neurogenesis occurs – meaning that we can build new brain all of our lives!
A key way is being curious and learning new things. When we pay attention we change the way our neurons synchronize and take in more information to build into networks of related data and concepts. As the hippocampus is involved in both learning and memory it allows us to combine our past and present information and learning into ever larger chunks, building up 3D spider webs of ever-richer knowledge and expertise – a lovely example of what fires together wires together.
Capacity grows through being interested, driven by curiosity, creativity, collaboration and courage. Because learning is not just about accumulating facts and data, it is about using them to test our values, our attitudes, our self-talk and our emotional reactions. It is about building not only new skills but new understandings and behaviours that better equip us for an ever-changing world.
So fire up your hippocampus, ask questions, seek out new information, explore new things – because learning is a major way that humans adapt, as is true of all complex systems. Our hippocampus helps us to build our brain, and our heart, to navigate our world, regulate our emotions and flourish in new and different situations.
Dr Fiona Kerr
Founder and CEO
The Neurotech Institute