The CERVO research center at Laval University recently launched a new Canada Excellence Research Chair in neuroplasticity, with neurologist Steven
Laureys for holder. The objective of the Chair will be to understand how meditation, sleep and physical activity contribute to transforming the brain, thus improving health and well-being.
Taking care of your brain is essential and this is what Steven Laureys, professor at the Faculty of Medicine at Laval University, recommends. Announced last March, the Chair will aim, among other things, to document the process of neuroplasticity in order to understand how lifestyle influences the brain. Neural activities, in other words cognitive training, such as meditation, sophrology, self-hypnosis and neuromodulation, can improve brain health and well-being, explains the clinical doctor. As the title of his book, published in 2019, indicates: Meditation is good for the brain.
Act on your well-being through meditation
Although we tend to neglect our brain, believes Steven Laureys, we have the capacity to act on our mental well-being, in particular through meditation. When it comes to anxiety, depression, chronic pain
or insomnia, “the effect of meditation can also be [important] than that of medication,” he says.
Meditation is the act of training one’s attention, specifies the neurologist, which causes changes in attentional networks and cognition, but also in emotional stability, creativity and the immune system. Breathing meditation, repeating a mantra, walking mindfully, even prayer will have a positive impact on the brain, emphasizes Steven Laureys.
By studying the effects of meditation on the brain of Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard, the neurologist and his team noticed that he was 10 to 15 years younger, from a neurological point of view. “We observe that the brain of an individual who meditates often is more developed,” he continues, and that this increases the volume of gray matter, connections and white matter.
In the case of a person suffering from cognitive loss, meditation may be part of the interventions proposed, as a complementary measure. However, this represents a challenge according to the professor, because doctors
do not have enough information and patients are not sufficiently informed about its benefits. “It will take a few generations,” he estimates.
Steven Laureys reminds us that meditation can be practiced “anywhere, anytime”, while brushing your teeth, during a walk, while doing household chores, or even in traffic jams.
Neuroplasticity at work
During the day, our thoughts and actions have an impact on our brain and its connections, therefore on neuronal plasticity. Neuroplasticity is “billions of synapses that allow us to learn throughout our lives,” explains Steven Laureys. In cases of head trauma or brain injuries, neuroplasticity has positive effects, and this also applies to psychological trauma, insomnia, anxiety, depression and all brain diseases, says he.
The brain can’t help but daydream, it thinks and relives what is happening. This activity can harm us, especially if we relive a traumatic event, which leads to ruminations and, therefore, negative neuroplasticity. The same goes for the disaster scenarios that we can imagine, says the neurologist. It is then important to notice this in order to decide to direct your attention elsewhere, by being in the “here and now”.
The doctor specifies, however, that you must allow yourself moments where you let yourself daydream, because this allows the brain to make associations and develop its creativity. On the other hand, when they are excessive, these periods can also amplify anxiety and lead to negative neuroplasticity. We can thus “break the vicious circle”, because it is often a negative spiral, by moving towards reconditioning (rewiring in English).
As for technology, particularly social media, they can have a negative or positive impact on neuroplasticity, depending on how it is used. The specialist believes that we must “protect ourselves [de] ourselves in the face of these algorithms that make us click for a little shot of dopamine in the reward system.
Based on science, the professor wishes to build bridges with a “more humanist medicine”, listening to the patient, giving them the power to act on their well-being.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.