3 Ways to Induce CHILDLIKE Brain Plasticity in ADULTs (Reopen Critical Periods)

Learn more about critical periods and cognitive enhancement in our Discord server! (link in bio)

Some notes(PLEASE consult a physician before taking any new supplements/drugs/etc. This video is NOT medical/health advice):

-magnesium L-threonate/magtein, magnesium acetyl-Taurate, and magnesium pidolate are all brain-available forms of magnesium. This is absolutely key because most commonly available forms of magnesium supplements do not facilitate proper blood brain barrier penetration (magnesium glycinate is among the better ones tho). Unfortunately, the brain-available forms of magnesium (except pidolate but this one has less research) are quite expensive on most vendor websites because patents enforce certain pricing schemes for any production facility.

-valproate is a somewhat mysterious drug with A LOT of various involved mechanisms, and have been noted to have a lot of unfavorable side effects with chronic administration. There are better alternatives with similar but more controlled, well-identified mechanisms that will most likely achieve a similar effect but with better safety profile.

-enhancing neuroplasticity is a double-edged sword. If you have any genetic pre-inclination or family history of psychiatric illness, you need to be 10x more cautious of whatever has a direct impact on brain function and especially neuroplasticity(psychedelics are an easy example of this). If you're mentally unstable, just like psychedelic trips can turn out badly and have long term negative impacts, periods of enhanced neuroplasticity may create unfavorable habits or thinking patterns if they are dysregulated in the first place. PLEASE consult a physician before taking any new supplements/drugs/etc.

-but this also means that we can take advantage of this greatly enhanced neuroplasticity to change our brains in ways we could not without. Possibly, such as enhancing our IQ! Our community is developing cognitive training protocols to verify and maximize such cognitive benefits. If you're interested, feel free to join by clicking the Discord link in the bio!

Script:
What if you could flip a switch and learn guitar like a six‑year‑old? Scientists call that switch your critical period, a brief window when your brain is ultra‑flexible. Today, I’ll give you three science‑backed hacks to pry that window open again, and an important point for making the most of this increased brain plasticity. First up… brain available magnesium. In adult mice, magnesium L-threonate(or magtein) supplementation enhanced visual plasticity by increasing NR2B-containing NMDA receptor activity, restoring critical period synaptic plasticity in the visual cortex. Hack two comes from an unexpected epilepsy drug… Valproate. Only two weeks of Valproate and perfect pitch training lets human adults in their twenties nail perfect pitch, something that can usually ONLY be learned before age seven. Method three needs no pills. It’s just extended sensory deprivation. Scientists found that trimming a single row of whiskers in adult rats, allowing whisker touch maps to reorganize within their brains. Here’s the catch… none of these tricks work without deliberate practice. The chemical, the environment, the supplements—they only REOPEN the door. You STILL have to walk through. But what practice EXACTLY maximizes cognitive enhancement and rate of skill learning? THAT is what my community has been researching EVERY DAY the past several years.

Citations:
Gervain, J., Vines, B. W., Chen, L. M., Seo, R. J., Hensch, T. K., Werker, J. F., & Young, A. H. (2013). Valproate reopens critical-period learning of absolute pitch. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, 7, 102. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnsys.2013.00...

Gomes, F. V., Zhu, X., & Grace, A. A. (2020). The pathophysiological impact of stress on the dopamine system is dependent on the state of the critical period of vulnerability. Molecular Psychiatry, 25(12), 3278–3291. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-019-05...

Hensch, T. K., & Quinlan, E. M. (2018). Rejuvenation of plasticity in the brain: opening the critical period. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, 12, 68. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnsys.2018.00...
PMC

Kirkwood, A., & Bear, M. F. (1994). Hebbian synapses in visual cortex. Journal of Neuroscience, 14(3 Pt 2), 1634–1645. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.14-...

Hensch, T. K. (2005). Critical period plasticity in local cortical circuits. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 6(11), 877–888. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1787

#neuroscience #brain #intelligence #iq