What is *The Brain That Changes Itself* by Norman Doidge about?

*The Brain That Changes Itself* explores **neuroplasticity**—the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. Through patient stories and scientific research, Norman Doidge challenges the outdated belief that the brain is unchangeable, demonstrating how individuals overcome learning disorders, recover from strokes, and improve cognitive function. The book bridges neuroscience with practical applications for healing and personal growth.

Who should read *The Brain That Changes Itself*?

This book is ideal for **students, educators, healthcare professionals**, and anyone interested in neuroscience or self-improvement. It offers actionable insights for those managing neurological conditions, caregivers, and individuals seeking evidence-based strategies to enhance memory, emotional resilience, or cognitive performance. Doidge’s accessible storytelling makes complex science engaging for general readers.

Is *The Brain That Changes Itself* worth reading?

Yes. The book revolutionized public understanding of neuroplasticity, blending rigorous science with compelling narratives. It remains a cornerstone for grasping how habits, therapies, and mental exercises can rewire the brain. Readers praise its hopeful tone and real-world examples, such as blind individuals learning to “see” through sensory substitution.

How does Norman Doidge explain neuroplasticity in the book?

Doidge defines neuroplasticity as the brain’s capacity to adapt structurally and functionally in response to experience. He illustrates this with cases like **Cheryl Schiltz**, who regained balance after vestibular damage using a neuroplasticity-based device, and stroke patients relearning movement through mental practice. These examples show plasticity isn’t limited to childhood.

What are the key takeaways from *The Brain That Changes Itself*?

1. **Brain adaptability**: Aging or injured brains can rejuvenate through targeted exercises. 2. **Experience shapes structure**: Learning new skills physically alters neural pathways. 3. **Therapeutic potential**: Non-invasive techniques can treat OCD, depression, and chronic pain. 4. **Cultural impact**: Modern technology may prematurely hardwire developing brains, affecting attention spans.

What critiques exist about *The Brain That Changes Itself*?

Some scientists argue Doidge oversimplifies complex research or overstates case-study applicability. Critics note early chapters focus on extreme recoveries, potentially creating unrealistic expectations. However, the book’s core thesis—that the brain isn’t static—is widely accepted in contemporary neuroscience.

How does *The Brain That Changes Itself* compare to Doidge’s later work, *The Brain’s Way of Healing*?

While both books explore neuroplasticity, *The Brain’s Way of Healing* emphasizes **non-invasive therapies** like light, sound, and motion. The sequel details newer research, including laser treatments for Parkinson’s and neurostimulation for autism, complementing the first book’s foundational theories.

Can *The Brain That Changes Itself* help with anxiety or depression?

Yes. Doidge highlights therapies like **cognitive-behavioral retraining** and mindfulness, which leverage plasticity to reduce symptoms. For example, OCD patients using “exposure and response prevention” weaken anxiety-linked neural pathways, demonstrating how mental exercises can remodel emotional responses.

脳は奇跡を起こす

脳科学の最前線から届いた、個人的な勝利の物語

ノーマン・ドイジ

4.2(39690 Reviews)

『脳は奇跡を起こす』の概要

オリバー・サックスが「驚異的で希望に満ちている」と評した、脳の再配線（リワイヤリング）を解き明かす画期的なベストセラーをぜひご覧ください。3万冊の中から最高の脳科学書に選ばれた本書は、心の限界に関するこれまでの常識を覆す、神経可塑性にまつわる驚くべき物語を明らかにしています。

語り方を選ぶ

1冊の本。さまざまな聴き方。

脳は奇跡を起こすの同じアイデアを、あなたに合う声・深さ・ペースで学べます。いつでも切り替えられます。

第1章

Rewiring Our Understanding: The Brain That Changes Itself

What if everything we've been taught about the brain is wrong? What if your brain isn't hardwired like a computer, but is instead constantly rewiring itself based on your experiences? This revolutionary concept-neuroplasticity-challenges four centuries of established science and offers hope for conditions once thought untreatable. Norman Doidge's groundbreaking work has transformed our understanding of the brain, earning praise from Oliver Sacks as "the most important book in neuroscience of the decade" and becoming a New York Times bestseller translated into over 30 languages. The book's impact extends beyond science, influencing fields from education to rehabilitation, and offering profound insights into human potential that continue to reshape how we think about learning, recovery, and personal growth.

第2章

The Neuroplastic Revolution: Challenging Four Centuries of Brain Science

For over four hundred years, scientists believed the brain was fixed and unchangeable-a complex machine with parts performing specific functions that, once damaged, could never be repaired. This "localizationist" view suggested that different brain regions were hardwired for specific tasks, with little capacity for reorganization. When brain cells died, conventional wisdom held they were gone forever, and when brain areas were damaged, the functions they controlled were permanently lost. Norman Doidge's investigation into neuroplasticity began when, as a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, he questioned whether patients' problems were truly "hardwired" into unchangeable brains. He discovered pioneering scientists who were proving that the brain could change its structure with each activity, perfecting its circuits to better perform specific tasks. These scientists showed that children aren't limited by innate abilities, damaged brains can reorganize themselves, dead brain cells can be replaced, and even "hardwired" reflexes can change. The neuroplastic revolution reveals that our brains are constantly being reshaped by what we do and even what we think. This discovery has profound implications for our understanding of learning, recovery from injury, aging, and even love. It shows that many "incurable" conditions may actually be treatable, and that the potential for self-improvement extends far beyond what we previously imagined. Perhaps most extraordinarily, thinking and learning can turn our genes on or off, altering brain anatomy and behavior. This concept of "neuroplasticity" challenges the centuries-old notion that the brain is fixed and unchangeable, offering hope for conditions ranging from stroke to learning disabilities, from obsessive-compulsive disorder to age-related cognitive decline. While neuroplasticity offers tremendous hope, it also reveals our vulnerability-what Doidge calls the "plastic paradox." The same neuroplasticity that allows for change can also reinforce unhealthy patterns. The brain circuits that fire together wire together, meaning our worst habits can become anatomically ingrained. Understanding both positive and negative plasticity reveals the true extent of human possibilities and challenges.

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『脳は奇跡を起こす』の一語一語が音声に合わせてリアルタイムでハイライトされ、自然に読み進められます。

第3章

Building a Better Brain: Barbara Arrowsmith Young's Transformation

Barbara Arrowsmith Young's story exemplifies neuroplasticity's transformative potential. Born with severe learning disabilities resulting from brain asymmetry, Barbara struggled with problems that conventional education couldn't address. Her right hemisphere was larger than her left, her right leg longer than her left, and her spine twisted with scoliosis. These physical asymmetries mirrored profound cognitive ones. Her learning disabilities were numerous and severe. She had problems with Broca's area affecting speech pronunciation, lacked spatial reasoning, couldn't judge distances, and had no mental mapping ability. Most debilitating was her inability to understand relationships between symbols, affecting her comprehension of grammar, math concepts, logic, and cause-effect relationships. She couldn't distinguish between phrases like "the father's brother" and "the brother's father," couldn't read clocks, and couldn't tell her left from right. Barbara's comprehension operated only in "lag time," never in real time. She couldn't understand events as they happened, forcing her to spend hours mentally reviewing past conversations to make sense of them. By the time she reached the end of a sentence, she'd forgotten what the beginning meant. This processing deficit damaged her emotional development and left her chronically uncertain about everything. Growing up in 1950s Ontario, Barbara had no access to specialized help. The term "learning disabilities" wouldn't be widely used for decades. Despite coming from a high-achieving family-her father was an electrical engineer with 34 patents-Barbara struggled through school, hiding her problems as best she could. Her breakthrough came when she discovered the work of Aleksandr Luria, particularly his account of Lyova Zazetsky, a Russian lieutenant whose brain injury had destroyed his ability to understand relationships between symbols-just like Barbara. For the first time, she understood the neurological location of her own brain deficit, though Luria offered no treatment. At twenty-eight, Barbara discovered Mark Rosenzweig's groundbreaking research showing that rats raised in stimulating environments developed heavier brains with better blood supply and more neurotransmitters than those in unstimulating environments. This evidence of neuroplasticity was her lightning-bolt moment-if the brain could be modified through activity, perhaps compensation wasn't the only answer. Barbara isolated herself and began designing intensive exercises targeting her weakened brain functions. She started with clock-reading exercises, using hundreds of flashcards showing different times. After exhausting weeks, not only could she read clocks faster than normal people, but she noticed improvements in her ability to grasp grammar, math, and logic. Most significantly, she could finally understand conversations in real time. Today, Barbara runs the Arrowsmith School, which conducts extensive assessments to determine precisely which brain functions are weak in applicants. Students work intensively at specialized computer exercises, like reading complex ten-handed clocks or studying Urdu and Persian letters to strengthen visual memory. The results are often transformative-students who had been stuck at third-grade level in math and reading eventually reach grade-level performance and beyond. Barbara believes neuroplasticity-based techniques have potential to help almost everyone, as we all have some weak brain functions that can significantly impact professional success. Her approach suggests that rather than endless tutoring that merely repeats lessons, children would benefit from assessments identifying their weak brain functions and programs to strengthen them.

第4章

Sensory Substitution: Teaching the Brain New Tricks

Cheryl Schiltz lives with the constant sensation of falling, even when standing still. Her body moves chaotically as if being pushed by invisible forces, and she must hold onto walls to walk. This terrifying condition resulted when an antibiotic destroyed her vestibular apparatus-the sensory organ for balance in the inner ear. Enter Paul Bach-y-Rita, a pioneer in brain plasticity, who developed a device that might replace her vestibular function by sending balance signals to her brain through her tongue. This experimental approach challenged the conventional view that specialized brain modules, once damaged, cannot be replaced or restored. Bach-y-Rita's device uses a hat with an accelerometer that sends signals to electrodes on Cheryl's tongue, creating a sensation like champagne bubbles that indicate her position in space. When using this device, Cheryl can stand independently without wobbling-a neuroplastic miracle as her brain reroutes balance signals from her tongue to her brain's balance center. Most remarkably, after using the device for just twenty minutes, Cheryl experiences a "residual effect" where she maintains her balance for hours afterward. With continued training, this effect extended from minutes to hours to days and eventually to four months. After a year of therapy, she no longer needs the device at all, having completely recovered her sense of balance through neuroplastic reorganization of her brain. Bach-y-Rita's work on sensory substitution began in 1969 when he published a groundbreaking article in Nature describing a "tactile-vision device" that enabled congenitally blind people to see. This 400-pound contraption used a television studio-sized camera that blind subjects operated by turning hand cranks. The camera sent electrical signals to 400 vibrating stimulators arranged on a plate against the subject's back. Despite its clunky design, the device produced remarkable results. Blind subjects learned to read, recognize faces, perceive depth and perspective, and even identify partially obscured objects. Most astonishingly, they experienced these sensations not as tactile information on their skin but as visual perceptions in three-dimensional space before them. Bach-y-Rita boldly rejected localizationist claims, demonstrating through his work on sensory substitution that our senses have remarkable plasticity. He determined that skin could substitute for a retina because both are two-dimensional sheets covered with sensory receptors that can form "pictures." But for the brain to decode skin sensations as visual images requires neuroplasticity-the brain must reorganize its sensory-perceptual system to learn something new. His innovations expanded to include an electronic "feeling" glove for astronauts, gloves for leprosy patients whose damaged nerves prevented hand sensation, and even specialized condoms to help spinal cord injury victims experience sexual sensation. His work extended to "supersenses" like infrared vision and orientation devices for Navy SEALs underwater. Bach-y-Rita's understanding of brain rehabilitation originated with his father Pedro's remarkable recovery from a devastating stroke at age 65. After the stroke paralyzed half Pedro's body and impaired his speech, doctors claimed he had no hope of recovery. Yet through intensive rehabilitation work with his other son George, Pedro completely recovered his functions-despite an autopsy later revealing catastrophic damage to his brain stem and movement centers.

『脳は奇跡を起こす』をもっと深く楽しむ

毎日の新しい気づきを10万件以上のレッスンから
言葉をハイライトして音声と同期
ライブラリを保存して、どの端末からでも利用

第5章

Mapping the Plastic Brain: Merzenich's Revolutionary Discoveries

Michael Merzenich's groundbreaking research has conclusively demonstrated the brain's remarkable plasticity. Through ingenious experiments, he proved that brain maps-the areas of the cortex dedicated to processing sensations from different body parts-are not fixed but constantly changing based on our experiences. In one landmark experiment, Merzenich cut the median nerve in a monkey's hand and observed the brain's response. Two months later, he discovered something shocking: when he stroked the outside areas of the monkey's hand, the previously silent median nerve map lit up! The brain maps for the radial and ulnar nerves had nearly doubled in size and invaded the median nerve territory. This demonstrated that when input to one area stops, other active nerves take over the unused brain space-revealing the competitive nature of brain plasticity and the "use it or lose it" principle governing neural resources. This competitive plasticity explains many cognitive phenomena, from why adults struggle to learn new languages to why bad habits are hard to break. As we age, our native language dominates our linguistic map space through constant use, making new languages difficult to acquire. Young children learn multiple languages easily because both languages gain footholds simultaneously in a single large map. Similarly, bad habits claim brain map territory through repetition, preventing that space from being used for better habits-making unlearning harder than learning and highlighting why early education matters so much. Merzenich's next breakthrough experiment involved mapping a monkey's hand, amputating its middle finger, then remapping months later. The maps for adjacent fingers had grown into the space previously dedicated to the amputated finger-clear proof that brain maps are dynamic and competitive. He also discovered that even normal animals' maps change every few weeks without any intervention. To observe plasticity unfolding over time, Merzenich mapped a monkey's brain repeatedly after cutting its median nerve. Immediately after the cut, the median nerve area was silent when the middle hand was touched, but lit up when outside areas were stroked-as though hidden maps were suddenly "unmasked." By day 22, these maps had grown more refined and expanded to occupy the median territory. By day 144, the new map was as detailed as a normal one. Merzenich discovered that topographical organization in brain maps emerges from repeated sequential activities. When we grip objects, we typically use our thumb first, then index finger, then middle finger-this consistent sequence creates adjacent maps in the brain. Parts that work together map together because "neurons that fire together wire together," while those that rarely coordinate map farther apart. Working with behavioral psychologist Bill Jenkins, Merzenich explored how learning affects brain maps. In their experiments with monkeys touching spinning disks, they discovered that motivated learning physically enlarged brain areas representing the fingertip. They found neurons become more efficient in two stages: first the map grows larger, then individual neurons become more selective, requiring fewer neurons for the same task. This explains how pianists develop a "lighter touch" with practice. Crucially, they discovered lasting brain changes occurred only when animals paid close attention-multitasking didn't create lasting change.

第6章

From Lab to Life: Practical Applications of Neuroplasticity

Merzenich's research has led to remarkable practical applications, particularly in treating language and learning disabilities. In 1996, Merzenich, Paula Tallal, Jenkins and psychologist Steve Miller formed Scientific Learning to develop Fast ForWord, a program that trains language-impaired children to distinguish sounds, identify consonant-vowel combinations, and process speech at increasingly faster speeds. The program incorporates rewards that trigger dopamine and acetylcholine release, consolidating brain map changes. Initial studies showed remarkable results-children gained nearly two years of language development in just six weeks, with brain scans showing normalization of reading-related brain activity patterns. Seven-year-old Willy Arbor struggled with an auditory processing disorder that made him confuse similar-sounding words, miss speech inflections, and forget multi-step instructions. Despite being gifted in math, he faced possible retention in first grade. After eight weeks of Fast ForWord training, Willy's ability to perceive speech inflections improved dramatically, allowing him to better read emotions. His academic performance transformed from struggling to earning As and Bs, and his confidence soared. Fast ForWord produced unexpected "spillover effects" beyond language improvement. Children showed better handwriting, sustained attention, and focus. Merzenich discovered the program improved temporal processing-the brain's ability to determine how long events last-which transferred across sensory systems. Most remarkably, IQ scores increased even on visual tests, suggesting general cognitive enhancement. The program has even shown promise for children with autism. Lauralee, diagnosed with moderate autism at age three, rarely used intelligible language and couldn't express her feelings. She exhibited classic autistic behaviors-hand flapping, toe-walking, and repetitive movements-along with hypersensitivity to sounds. After completing Fast ForWord over eight weeks, she experienced "an explosion in language," speaking in complete sentences and recounting details about her day unprompted. Her mother called this transformation "an awakening" that benefited the entire family. At sixty-one, Merzenich launched Posit Science to preserve brain plasticity as people age. With life expectancy increasing but Alzheimer's affecting nearly half of those reaching 85, he believes we must extend our "mental lifespan." Contrary to mainstream neuroscience's focus on blocking chemical deterioration with drugs, Merzenich argues the real problem is neglect of the brain's plasticity systems. As we settle into middle age, we stop intensely learning new skills, causing our attentional systems to atrophy. This leads to "fuzzy engrams" and "noisy brains" where new memories can't compete against background electrical activity. The solution isn't drugs but targeted brain exercises that stimulate plasticity mechanisms.

聴きながら、すべての言葉を目で追えます

『脳は奇跡を起こす』の一語一語が音声に合わせてリアルタイムでハイライトされ、自然に読み進められます。

第7章

The Power of Imagination: Mental Practice and Brain Change

At Harvard's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Alvaro Pascual-Leone demonstrates transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a non-invasive technique that sends magnetic fields through the skull to stimulate specific brain areas. This technology has allowed researchers to map brain activity and observe neuroplastic changes in real time. Following his hero Santiago Ramon y Cajal's intuition that mental practice strengthens neural connections, Pascual-Leone designed an experiment comparing physical and mental piano practice. Two groups learned a piano sequence-one physically practicing two hours daily for five days, the other only imagining playing. Remarkably, both groups showed similar brain map changes, with the mental practice group achieving nearly the same accuracy. When given just one physical practice session afterward, the mental practice group caught up completely to the physical group's five-day performance level, demonstrating that mental rehearsal creates substantial physical changes in the motor system with minimal actual practice. Mental practice, though underutilized by most people, can be remarkably effective. Athletes and musicians like Glenn Gould use it systematically for performance preparation. Perhaps the most impressive example is Anatoly Sharansky, who survived nine years in Soviet prison (including 400 days in solitary confinement) by playing mental chess against himself. This activity likely preserved his brain function during extreme sensory deprivation. After his release, Sharansky's mental chess practice had made him so skilled that when world champion Garry Kasparov played against Israeli cabinet members, Sharansky was the only one who wasn't defeated. Brain scans of people who engage in extensive mental practice reveal remarkable neural reorganization. Rudiger Gamm transformed himself from an ordinary bank employee into a mathematical genius through four hours of daily computational practice. PET scans showed he recruited five additional brain areas for calculations compared to average people. Expert problem-solvers like Gamm don't memorize answers but instead store key facts and strategies in long-term memory with immediate access. Imagination changes our brains because imagining an action activates many of the same brain regions as performing it. When people visualize a letter, their primary visual cortex activates just as if they were seeing it. This neural overlap explains why visualization improves performance. In a startling experiment, Drs. Guang Yue and Kelly Cole showed that merely imagining muscle contractions increased finger muscle strength by 22% after four weeks, compared to 30% in those doing actual physical exercise. The motor neurons programming movement sequences strengthen through imagination alone. Pascual-Leone explains how neuroplasticity can paradoxically lead to both change and rigidity. Using the Spanish word "plasticina" (Play-Doh), he describes the brain as fundamentally impressionable, constantly reshaped by experience. Even when performing identical behaviors, the neural connections are slightly different each time. A brain that returns to a previous state is never identical to its former configuration-"The system is plastic, not elastic." Yet despite this malleability, we maintain consistency through genes and repetition. He uses a sledding metaphor: repeated trips down a snowy hill create tracks that become increasingly efficient and difficult to deviate from.

第8章

Healing the Wounded Brain: From Phantom Pain to Stroke Recovery

Dr. Michael Bernstein, a 54-year-old eye surgeon and tennis enthusiast, suffered a devastating stroke that left the entire left side of his body paralyzed. After conventional rehabilitation ended with incomplete recovery-he still needed a cane, couldn't use his left hand for fine motor skills, and couldn't play tennis-he enrolled in Edward Taub's constraint-induced (CI) movement therapy. The intensive two-week program involved constant practice with his affected limbs, from moving cans between shelves to writing the alphabet. His progress was remarkable: he regained his ability to write, returned to work, and resumed playing tennis three times weekly. Though he chose not to return to surgery for legal liability reasons, his recovery demonstrated how neuroplastic therapy could restore function long after conventional medicine had given up. Until Edward Taub's neuroplasticity-based constraint-induced therapy, medical science offered little hope for significant recovery after initial rehabilitation plateaued. Taub's breakthrough treatment has helped paralyzed stroke patients regain movement, restored speech abilities, and shown promise for conditions like cerebral palsy, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, and even arthritis. Taub's experiments overturned Sherrington's seventy-year-old reflexological theory of movement. By showing that monkeys could move deafferented limbs when forced to use them, he proved that independent motor programs in the brain could initiate voluntary movement without sensory feedback. This discovery had profound implications for stroke recovery. Taub hypothesized that stroke patients, like his monkeys, suffered from "learned nonuse"-they abandoned their affected limbs during the initial recovery period when movement attempts failed, causing motor maps to weaken through disuse. Taub's clinic employs constraint-induced therapy where patients wear mitts on their good hands and slings on their good arms for 90% of waking hours. Working with physiotherapist Jean Crago, Taub developed intensive exercises using "shaping"-an incremental approach to relearning movement through gamelike activities such as placing pegs in boards or sorting pennies. Unlike conventional rehabilitation's three one-hour weekly sessions, Taub's patients drill six hours daily for 10-15 consecutive days, performing each task ten times. Studies show the treatment works for virtually all stroke survivors with some finger movement ability, and they've even developed techniques for completely paralyzed hands. Even patients whose strokes occurred years earlier show significant improvement, with 80% of patients regaining substantial arm function. Taub's constraint-induced therapy principles have been successfully applied to stroke patients with speech aphasia by Dr. Friedemann Pulvermuller's team in Germany. About 40% of left hemisphere stroke patients lose speaking ability, with varying severity. Traditional thinking held that patients who didn't improve within a year couldn't recover. After just thirty-two hours of therapy over ten days, the CI therapy group showed a 30% increase in communication, while the conventional treatment group showed no improvement.

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毎日の新しい気づきを10万件以上のレッスンから
言葉をハイライトして音声と同期
ライブラリを保存して、どの端末からでも利用

第9章

Neuroplasticity Across the Lifespan: From Childhood to Old Age

At ninety, Dr. Stanley Karansky defies age-related decline through constant mental engagement. After retiring at seventy from anesthesiology, he retrained as a family doctor for another decade. Recently completing Merzenich's brain exercises through Posit Science, Karansky noticed improved alertness, driving ability, handwriting, and conversational fluency after seven weeks. He maintains physical fitness through regular exercise, pursues intellectual challenges through reading history and mathematics, and develops new passions like astronomy and rock collecting. Early twentieth-century neuroanatomist Santiago Ramon y Cajal concluded the human brain couldn't regenerate after injury-unlike skin, bones, liver, and blood. Scientists believed the brain's complexity made producing replacement cells impossible, as new neurons entering established networks would cause chaos. In his 1913 work "Degeneration and Regeneration of the Nervous System," Ramon y Cajal declared adult brain pathways "fixed, ended, immutable" and challenged future science to change this "harsh decree." Neuronal stem cells remained undiscovered for decades because they contradicted the prevailing view of the brain as machine-like. The breakthrough came when Fernando Nottebohm observed songbirds growing new brain cells each season in areas responsible for song learning. Elizabeth Gould later discovered neuronal stem cells in primates, while Eriksson and Gage ingeniously used BrdU markers in terminally ill patients to prove humans form new neurons until death. Gage's team investigated whether neurogenesis could enhance mental capacity by studying how enriched environments affect aging mice. After just 45 days with toys, tubes and running wheels, mice showed a 15% increase in hippocampal volume and 40,000 new neurons. Older mice exposed to enrichment for ten months experienced a fivefold increase in hippocampal neurons and performed better on intelligence tests. The research revealed two ways to increase neurons: creating new ones (primarily through running, which doubled new neurons) and extending the life of existing ones (through learning activities). Gage theorized that walking triggers "anticipatory proliferation" as animals enter new environments requiring new learning-consistent with Merzenich's finding that novel challenges, not repetitive skills, maintain brain fitness. Exercise and mental stimulation generate and sustain brain cells, with studies confirming that mentally active humans maintain better brain function. Activities requiring genuine concentration-studying music, board games, reading, and dancing-correlate with lower dementia risk, while less intense activities like bowling or golfing don't. Dr. Karansky exemplified ideal practices for combating age-related memory loss. Physical activity, particularly walking, stimulates BDNF production crucial for plastic change. Cognitively rich activities like learning new dances provide both physical and social benefits while tai chi combines movement, balance training, and stress reduction. Continuous learning is vital-Harvard's Dr. Vaillant's extensive life-cycle study shows older people often develop new skills and greater wisdom than in youth. Challenging mental activities increase hippocampal neuron survival, whether through structured brain exercises or pursuing long-held interests.

第10章

The Cultural Brain: How Society Shapes Our Neural Circuits

The neuroplastic revolution reveals that our brains are not just biological entities but are profoundly shaped by culture. Every sustained activity-reading, music, language learning-physically changes our brain structure. As Merzenich explains, our brains differ significantly from our ancestors' because cultural evolution requires learning complex new skills that involve massive brain changes. The Sea Gypsies, nomadic people from the Burmese archipelago, demonstrate remarkable underwater vision, able to see clearly at depths of thirty feet without goggles. Swedish researcher Anna Gislen found they can control their pupil size underwater, constricting them 22%-something thought impossible as pupils reflexively dilate underwater. This ability isn't genetic but learned; Gislen successfully taught Swedish children the same skill, proving another instance of brain plasticity altering supposedly hardwired circuits. Cultural activities fundamentally alter brain structure. Musicians who practice extensively develop larger brain maps for their active hands and specific timbres, with those starting before age seven showing enlarged areas connecting hemispheres. London taxi drivers develop larger hippocampi from navigating streets, while meditators develop thicker insulae from sustained attention. Contrary to evolutionary psychologists who claim our brains remain anatomically unchanged since the Pleistocene, our hunter-gatherer ancestors possessed the same neuroplasticity we do. This plasticity enabled "cognitive fluidity" and adaptation to modern environments. Our brain modules aren't fixed but adaptable-we recognize cars using facial recognition modules, and literacy uses brain structures that evolved millennia before reading existed. Brain scans reveal specific "reading circuits" that couldn't have evolved genetically in the mere thousands of years since literacy emerged-physical evidence that cultural activities create new neural structures. Perceptual learning demonstrates that culture fundamentally shapes how we perceive the world. Richard Nisbett's cross-cultural experiments revealed that Westerners perceive analytically (focusing on individual objects) while Easterners perceive holistically (emphasizing relationships between objects). When shown underwater scenes, Americans focused on prominent fish while Japanese noticed background elements and relationships between objects. These aren't merely interpretive differences but actual differences in perception, as proven when people who change cultures gradually adopt new perceptual patterns. The plastic brain solves the riddle of sublimation-how primitive instincts become civilized expressions. When instinctual modules interact with intelligence modules, they modify each other to form new wholes. Activities like competitive sports and chess allow us to channel aggressive instincts through civilized rules. The neuroplastic brain enables these connections between our "lower" instinctual parts and "higher" cognitive functions, creating activities that satisfy both. This explains why civilization is always tenuous, only one generation deep, as these plastic connections can separate during societal breakdown, allowing brutal instincts to reemerge.

★★★★★

『脳は奇跡を起こす』を最後まで読み終えました

100万人以上の学習者に愛用されています

“23日間、毎日使い続けています。今では日課の一部です。”

jayallen

『脳は奇跡を起こす』の主要テーマ

neuroplasticity research
brain injury recovery
cognitive reorganization
learning disability treatment
neural circuit rewiring

『脳は奇跡を起こす』の名言

The brain is a far more open system than anyone ever imagined, and nature has gone to great lengths to help us perceive and take in the world around us.
What if everything we've been taught about the brain is wrong?
The brain circuits that fire together wire together.
Her comprehension operated only in 'lag time'.
Thinking and learning can turn our genes on or off.

『脳は奇跡を起こす』の登場人物

Norman DoidgeAuthor, psychiatrist, and psychoanalyst
Barbara Arrowsmith YoungWoman who overcame severe learning disabilities
Aleksandr LuriaNeuropsychologist who studied brain injuries
Lyova ZazetskyRussian lieutenant with a symbolic brain deficit
Mark RosenzweigResearcher who studied brain growth in rats

著者について

ノーマン・ドイジ（MD, FRCP(C)）は、『ニューヨーク・タイムズ』紙のベストセラー作家であり、精神科医、そして神経可塑性の第一人者です。脳科学の最前線における個人の勝利の物語を描いた著書『脳は奇跡を起こす（原題：The Brain That Changes Itself）』で最もよく知られています。

コロンビア大学精神分析訓練研究センターの研究員であり、トロント大学の元教授でもあるドイジ氏は、臨床の専門知識と画期的な神経科学の知見を融合させています。彼の研究は脳の適応性を探求し、神経回路は固定されているという概念に異を唱え、神経可塑性を通じた現実世界での回復の事例を紹介しています。

カナダ・ナショナル・マガジン賞を4度受賞しているドイジ氏は、『Books in Canada』の編集長を務めたほか、『National Post』や『Saturday Night』にも寄稿してきました。続編となる『脳はいかに治癒をもたらすか（原題：The Brain’s Way of Healing）』ではこれらのテーマをさらに掘り下げ、非薬物療法による変革的なケーススタディを提示しています。

100以上の言語に翻訳された『脳は奇跡を起こす』は100万部以上を売り上げ、ダナ財団（Dana Foundation）からは一般読者向けの脳科学に関する決定版として推奨されています。

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Neuroplasticity: The Art of Remodeling Your Mind

Change Your Brain, Change Your Life

Dr. Daniel G. Amen

Rewire Your Brain: Science-Based Self-Help Revolution の書籍表紙

6 sources

Rewire Your Brain: Science-Based Self-Help Revolution

Rewire Your Brain: The Science of Lasting Change の書籍表紙

6 sources

Rewire Your Brain: The Science of Lasting Change

Rewire Your Brain

John B. Arden

Neuroplasticity · Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science

What Is Neuroplasticity? How the Brain Rewires Itself | Neurosity

Neuroplasticity - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf

Stroke Survivor Story: How Jim Overcame Paralysis After Stroke

8 sources

Neuroplasticity: The Living Brain

この本に関するよくある質問

学習プラン

Live wired book

This plan distills the groundbreaking research on brain plasticity into practical applications for personal growth. It is ideal for lifelong learners, educators, and anyone seeking to intentionally reshape their habits and cognitive potential through neuroscience.

4 h 22 m•4 セクション

学習プラン

The Neuropsychology of Self-Mastery

This plan bridges the gap between brain science and personal agency, offering a biological blueprint for self-regulation. It is essential for high-performers and leaders looking to overcome subconscious barriers and master their internal landscape.

30 m•3 セクション

学習プラン

Livewired David eagleman

This plan distills David Eagleman's insights on the brain's incredible ability to reconfigure itself. It is essential for anyone looking to master their cognitive potential, change deep-seated habits, or understand the biological basis of learning and perception.

4 h 26 m•4 セクション

学習プラン

The Neuroscience of Manifestation

This plan bridges the gap between self-help and science, offering a biological perspective on achieving goals. It is ideal for high-performers and skeptics alike who want to leverage brain science to increase their personal agency and effectiveness.

1 h 30 m•3 セクション

学習プラン

Rewire Your Mind for Mastery

This plan is designed for lifelong learners and professionals seeking a cognitive edge in a rapidly changing world. By combining neuroscience, metacognition, and social psychology, it provides a comprehensive toolkit for personal and professional evolution.

1 h 30 m•3 セクション

学習プラン

Rewire Your 20s Brain: Science & Expert Tips

The twenties are a unique neurological window where the brain is highly adaptable but still maturing. This plan is essential for young adults looking to harness neuroplasticity to build a high-performance foundation for their career and personal lives.

6 h 10 m•4 セクション

学習プラン

Oliver sacks and Alex boese

This learning plan bridges the gap between neurological observation and skeptical inquiry, offering a unique look at how our brains process reality. It is ideal for curious minds, students of psychology, and anyone looking to sharpen their critical thinking skills against modern misinformation.

5 h 10 m•4 セクション

学習プラン

Rewire Nervous System & Build New Pathways

This plan is essential for individuals seeking to overcome chronic stress, trauma, or repetitive negative patterns by leveraging the science of neuroplasticity. It is ideal for anyone looking to transition from survival mode to a state of regulated self-leadership and emotional resilience.

4 h 34 m•4 セクション

コロンビア大学卒業生がサンフランシスコで開発

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@Chloe, Solo founder, LA

117

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@Raaaaaachelw

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@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

BeFreedがウェブ上でどのように話題になっているかをもっと見る

コロンビア大学卒業生がサンフランシスコで開発

LOVED BY

1,000,000+ curious minds.

4.7

avg rating

1M+ learners

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA

117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA

117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."

@Moemenn

"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."

@Chloe, Solo founder, LA

117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw

"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum

108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC

254

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore

"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful

4.5K

"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP

"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon

201

"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke

"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."

@Leo, Law Student, UPenn

483

"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

@Cashflowbubu

BeFreedがウェブ上でどのように話題になっているかをもっと見る

今すぐ学習の旅を始めよう

第3章

脳は奇跡を起こす

概要『脳は奇跡を起こす』の概要

1冊の本。さまざまな聴き方。

Rewiring Our Understanding: The Brain That Changes Itself

The Neuroplastic Revolution: Challenging Four Centuries of Brain Science

聴きながら、すべての言葉を目で追えます

Building a Better Brain: Barbara Arrowsmith Young's Transformation

Sensory Substitution: Teaching the Brain New Tricks

『脳は奇跡を起こす』をもっと深く楽しむ

Mapping the Plastic Brain: Merzenich's Revolutionary Discoveries

From Lab to Life: Practical Applications of Neuroplasticity

聴きながら、すべての言葉を目で追えます

The Power of Imagination: Mental Practice and Brain Change

Healing the Wounded Brain: From Phantom Pain to Stroke Recovery

『脳は奇跡を起こす』をもっと深く楽しむ

Neuroplasticity Across the Lifespan: From Childhood to Old Age

The Cultural Brain: How Society Shapes Our Neural Circuits

『脳は奇跡を起こす』を最後まで読み終えました

『脳は奇跡を起こす』の主要テーマ

『脳は奇跡を起こす』の名言

『脳は奇跡を起こす』の登場人物

著者について

脳は奇跡を起こすの要約をダウンロード

他のユーザーのお気に入り

この本に関するよくある質問

What is The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge about?

Who should read The Brain That Changes Itself?

Is The Brain That Changes Itself worth reading?

How does Norman Doidge explain neuroplasticity in the book?

もっと見る

1,000,000+ curious minds.

1,000,000+ curious minds.

1冊の本。さまざまな聴き方。

Rewiring Our Understanding: The Brain That Changes Itself

The Neuroplastic Revolution: Challenging Four Centuries of Brain Science

聴きながら、すべての言葉を目で追えます

Building a Better Brain: Barbara Arrowsmith Young's Transformation

Sensory Substitution: Teaching the Brain New Tricks

『脳は奇跡を起こす』をもっと深く楽しむ

Mapping the Plastic Brain: Merzenich's Revolutionary Discoveries

From Lab to Life: Practical Applications of Neuroplasticity

聴きながら、すべての言葉を目で追えます

The Power of Imagination: Mental Practice and Brain Change

Healing the Wounded Brain: From Phantom Pain to Stroke Recovery

『脳は奇跡を起こす』をもっと深く楽しむ

Neuroplasticity Across the Lifespan: From Childhood to Old Age

The Cultural Brain: How Society Shapes Our Neural Circuits

『脳は奇跡を起こす』を最後まで読み終えました

他のユーザーのお気に入り

もっと見る

『脳は奇跡を起こす』の概要