Neuroplasticity and Cognitive Empowerment: Relationships and New Methodic Directions

Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain that allows us to learn and adapt to our environment. Many studies have shown that plasticity is retained throughout the lifespan from infancy to very old age (Merzenich et al., 1991; Merzenich and DeCharms, 1996; Greenwood and Parasuraman, 2010; May, 2011; Bavelier et al., 2012; Mishra and Gazzaley, 2014). There is actually a debate on the relationship between cognitive empowerment and neuroplasticity. Some questions still remain unclear concerning what constitutes evidence for neural plasticity in response to cognitive empowerment. The neurological literature on cognitive empowerment is at an early stage, and the results are still varied and limited. Indeed, it is difficult to predict whether cognitive empowerment will increase or decrease neural activity, and how it might interact with age, a well as how durable effects are over time. It is also difficult to assess whether any observed brain changes reflect a fundamental increase in neural activity or merely a change in strategy (Park and Bischof, 2013). In the present paper, it will be discussed the relationship between cognitive empowerment and neuroplasticity. Our questions are two: can cognitive empowerment techniques enhance neural and cognitive functions? Does brain really have the capacity to change in response to cognitive stimulation? Recently, development and evaluation of cognitive empowerment approaches in many labs have revealed evidence for positive neuroplasticity, as well as for transfer of benefit to untrained cognitive abilities (Stevens et al., 2008; Smith et al., 2009; Ball et al., 2010; Berry et al., 2010; Anderson et al., 2013; Anguera et al., 2013; Mishra et al., 2013; Wolinsky et al., 2013; Mishra and Gazzaley, 2014). Furthermore, in two of our studies, we find neurophysiological and cognitive effects that relate on task neuroplasticity and cognitive empowerment. Here, we argue that although there are some neural deterioration and chronic disease that can occur with age or are related to neuropathology, the brain has the biological capacity to increase neural activity and to improve the cognitive abilities, in response to cognitive empowerment. From our studies, we are coming to understand the various facets of the relationship between cognitive empowerment and plasticity, as it drives the quest to develop new interventions that may engender maximal positive plasticity in selectively targeted neural systems. For these reasons, in this chapter, we suggest a new training approach: the integrated intervention tDCS stimulation and cognitive empowerment in order to obtain maximal benefits, to reverse the chronicity of disease and thereby to improve the quality of life. Our findings provide a basic understanding of some principles that may govern the development of effective cognitive interventions designed to promote adaptive plasticity. However, the scientific evaluation methods that can be used to provide convincing proof of the efficacy of the cognitive empowerment have to be improved.