The brain, our amazing three pound universe, is the seat of intelligence and the source of all the qualities of every individual. Neuroscience, the scientific study of the brain and nervous system, confirms that the brain learns through making neural connections, altering the strengths of connections between neurons, and creating and expanding neural networks.
The neural circuits are formed by genetic mechanisms during embryonic development and modified through interactions with the internal and external environment. An individual’s activities, such as learning and exercise, can strengthen or weaken communications between neurons, and the change in the amount of activity can also enhance or reduce its function. It is these neural connections that make our learning and behaviors possible, and the combinations of signals among neurons results in all sorts of our perceptions, thoughts, and behaviors.