What happens to neurons during practice?

Summary

Practice enhances skill mastery by promoting myelination, which increases the efficiency of neural signal transmission.

Abstract

The concept of "practice makes perfect" is supported by neurological changes that occur with repeated activity. Practice leads to myelination, a process where oligodendrocyte cells form additional layers of insulation around axons, reducing energy loss during neural signal transmission. This myelination is crucial for improving the speed and accuracy of skilled movements and cognitive functions. The article emphasizes the importance of not only practicing but also ensuring that the practice is correctly focused on the skill being developed, as this ensures that the right neural pathways are being optimized. The process of practice is likened to creating an expressway for information flow within the brain, highlighting its significance in learning and development.

Opinions

The author believes that practice is universally acknowledged as a key to success by high achievers across various fields.
It is suggested that the lack of practice in individuals may stem from a misunderstanding of motivation, implying that people need a clear reward or reason to be motivated to practice.
The article posits that myelination is a driving factor in the motivation to practice, as it leads to tangible improvements in skill performance.
There is an emphasis on the importance of practicing correctly to ensure that the myelination process enhances the appropriate neural pathways for skill improvement.
The author implies that the organization Practise Makes Perfect recognizes the critical role of practice in learning, particularly in the context of children's educational development.

What happens to neurons during practice?

We all have heard the adage- practice makes one perfect.

Every successful person on the planet- be it a high altitude climber, an innovative entrepreneur, or an elite athlete, all of them will vouch for the importance of practice and how it is important for reaping results in life.

There is even an established for-profit organization, based out of New York, by the name Practise Makes Perfect (PMP) aimed at improving summer enrichment programs for students.

The founder probably understood the relevance practice has in learning and to the overall development of a child.

So, the idea is clear: practice sets us on the path to mastery.

But, what actually happens at a neurological level that helps us gain expertise in a skill with practice?

Despite knowing practice helps in improvement, very rarely do people practice. This situation arises because of a fundamental idea that has been miscommunicated about the concept of motivation.

People are motivated to do something only if there is a reward or a reason. This brings us to an important question: what is the motivation for practicing?

The answer to this pressing question lies in the concept of myelination.

At a neurological level, the brain has to send signals to the respective muscles or areas associated with the skill through neural pathways called axons. These axons carry information and direct the target area/muscle to be moved in a particular way.

Imagine the axons to be a medium that is carrying information, but at the same time, is vulnerable to energy(information) loss.

From high school science, we all know insulators are poor conductors of energy/electricity, and that is why they find application in reducing energy loss.

Similarly, the axons have a natural insulator: myelin.

Myelin is formed by oligodendrocyte cells, and they form a protective sheath around axons in a concentric fashion. So, practice leads to more layers of myelin around the axons; this is called myelination.

So, with practice, energy is transmitted with minimum loss, helping us gain mastery over a particular skill or motor ability. Having discussed how axons could be optimized with myelination, it is also important to note that the right axons should be myelinated.

Therefore, while practicing a skill, it is important to know if the series of steps that are being taken are leading in the right direction of improving that particular skillset.

Practise is basically the creation of an expressway for information flow from the brain!

Thank you for reading!