Our Brain Has a “Delete” Button

A popular opinion among neurologists is that brain cells are always interconnected.

This simply means that the more neural networks that are formed in the human brain, the smarter the person is. That is why it is said that this practice leads to perfection.

The more often you play musical instruments, communicate in other languages, or try new things, the more skillful you become.

Science has known this for some time. Even today, researchers are already studying the other side of the issue: to restore knowledge, the ability to forget or to disrupt obsolete neural networks. This ability has been called "synaptic cutting".

The cutting mechanism

Let's imagine our brain as a garden. But it does not grow any fruit, no vegetables, and no flowers, but synaptic connections are established between the brain cells. These are like bridges that help circulate dopamine, serotonin, and other neurotransmitters.

The "glial cells" work in this garden, as gardeners of the brain. These contribute to the rapid passage of impulses between specific neurons. In addition, there is another type of glial cell, which aims to eliminate waste, control weeds, eliminate pests, and harvest fallen leaves.

Gardeners involved in "cutting branches" in the brain have been called "microglia" in scientific circles. They cut off existing synaptic connections. The only question is how do I understand exactly which synapse should be removed?

Scientists have begun to address this mystery, but they already know that synapses that have lost their benefit to humans are labeled with special C1q proteins.

And when the microglia see this sign, it binds to this protein and breaks the existence of the "bridge".

As a result, the brain prepares the ground for fresh and more stable connections, increasing the ability to learn.

The importance of sleep

Your brain is being cleansed by a dream!

Have you ever felt that your brain was full of information? This happens while studying a new subject or trying to get used to a new paper. And sometimes it happens for no apparent reason.

Under the influence of a stream of unfamiliar information, the brain builds new connections, but so far they cannot be called reliable. First of all, we need to get rid of everything useless to form a place to build the most efficient and orderly neural connections. And that happens during sleep.

When a person sleeps, brain cells are reduced by almost 60% to allow gallant gardeners to remove unnecessary synapses.

Did you have to wake up after a long night of rest and notice how clean the mind is and how quickly one thought replaces another? The effect of healthy sleep can be compared to defragmenting a computer hard drive.

For the same reason, daytime sleep improves cognitive function. 10 or 20 minutes of sleep allows the microglia to quickly remove obsolete synapses so that new ones can form in their place.

If you are not constantly sleeping, then any attempt to think of something becomes an impenetrable jungle walk, like a model in your hands.

On the contrary, the thoughts of a sleeping person remind us of a walk full of energy, on the paths of a beautiful park, where nothing prevents the vision. And it's very invigorating.

You decide what information will be deleted

All synaptic connections with the appropriate label are exposed to destruction. Only those who are looking are saved, so be careful with your thoughts. If you are obsessively studying all sorts of assumptions about how a series will end, forgetting the important details in your life, then you don't need to be a genius to understand what synapse your brain will get rid of first.

If you confront your co-worker and think only of him and not the current project, then you will become a sophisticated avenger, devoid of any innovative ideas.

The only thing that matters is your concentration. Choosing an object of attention, thus, you get the ability to control your mind.

Of course, none of us can control absolutely everything that happens to us during the day. But no one is bothered by the conscious choice of how all these events will affect us, and accordingly, we will build the necessary neural connections in our brain.

Don't focus on what keeps you from moving forward. Do not calculate the possible results of the events, replace them with meditation.

Empty your mind, direct all your energy to something that will help you.

It all depends on the strategy. You should use your brain wisely.