The Brain That Changes Itself (12)

“The cerebral cortex,” he says of the thin outer layer of the brain, "is actually selectively refining its processing capacities to fit each task at hand." It doesn't simply learn; it is always "learning how to learn." The brain Merzenich describes is not an inanimate vessel that we fill; rather it is more like a living creature with an appetite, one that can grow and change itself with proper nourishment and exercise. Before Merzenich's work, the brain was seen as a complex machine, having unalterable limits on memory, processing speed, and intelligence. Merzenich has shown that each of these assumptions is wrong.