Neuroplasticity

Over 20 years ago, one of my uncles lost his right hand when it got caught in a moving lift.  And, he was a right-handed person.  Now, imagine – one fine day, all of a sudden, you are having to do everything that you ever did with your right hand, now with your left hand.  But such was his willpower and adaptability that he very quickly started doing everything with his left hand – including writing!

This might be an extreme example, but the ability to do stuff with your non-dominant hand is a very handy skill to have.  On top of it, it keeps the aging brain “young” as it helps develop neuroplasticity – which is defined as the ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli by reorganizing its structure, functions, or connections , typically, after injuries.  The brain creates new synapses (connections) or pathways.

Now, why is that important, you ask?

That’s because, let’s assume you get tremors in your dominant hand and, progressively, it is becoming difficult to do things with that hand, you can use the other, non-dominant hand to do certain tasks. Some common examples of what you can do to develop neuroplasticity – brushing your teeth, juggling a tennis ball, learning to write, all with your non-dominant hand!