What is Neuroplasticity?

In this episode, we explore the topic of neuroplasticity and its relationship to the gut-brain axis.

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Contact Information:
Jerrodb@pathwayscounselingcenter.org

Disclaimer:
The information provided in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical or mental health advice. The content discussed should not replace professional judgment, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding any medical or psychological concerns. The views expressed by our hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of any affiliated organizations.

Credits:
Executive Producer, Host: Jerrod Brown, Ph.D., M.A., M.S., M.S., M.S., M.S., M.S.

Producer, Technical Director: Megan Eichten, AAS, CPT, CES (NASM)

Audio Engineer, Sound Designer: Jen Carter, BS

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to the Psychogastroenterologist, the show where we explore the fascinating intersection of the brain-gut connection through a multidisciplinary lens informed by psychology, neuroscience, and gastroenterology, better known as psychogastroenterology. Our mission is to delve into the gut brain access and uncover how this powerful connection influences mental, physical, and overall well-being. Whether you work in behavioral health, healthcare, the criminal justice system, or health and wellness coaching, this podcast offers insights to inform and inspire your work. Join us as we break down complex concepts, share evidence-based perspectives, and discuss emerging trends in this rapidly evolving field. The information provided in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical or mental health advice. The content discussed should not replace professional judgment, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding any medical or psychological concerns. The views expressed by our hosts and our guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of any affiliated organizations.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

Hey everybody, hope all of you are doing well. Welcome back to episode eight of the Psychogastroenternology Podcast Program through Pathways Counseling Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. I'm Jared Brown. I'm your host, and today we're going to talk about the topic of neuroplasticity, one of my favorite topics of them all. If you're new to our podcast program, please check out our YouTube channel. When we have our podcast program, I have slides that I show visually. So if you're looking for a visual, definitely check out the YouTube channel. If you can see our slides here today, here's a copy of my brief professional biography. I wear a couple different hats. I'm a professor, trainer, researcher, and consultant. And this slide just visually shows all of you just some of the areas that guide and inform the work that I do. And a big part of what I do is the gut brain access, psychogastroentomology, and other related topics. You can see here there's other topics on here that we will definitely get to in future episodes. And some of these we've actually talked about a few times now in previous episodes. Our agenda today, pretty straightforward, going to talk about neuroplasticity in general. So what is it? Part two, how do we make this practical? How do we use this information in an intake during a screening process, during an interview with a client? And then part three, tips, strategies, solutions, and interventions. So neuroplasticity are a huge topic. Thousands of articles have been published on this topic over the years looking at different dimensions. How does this relate to the gut-brain access? Well, there is emerging research that does show that digestive health issues, gut dysbiosis, things we've learned about in previous episodes, don't just impact the gut. They can actually impact the brain and contribute to maladaptive neuroplasticity. So at the core, neuroplasticity, just basically our brain's ability to kind of relearn things, adjust, make modifications. It plays a huge role in learning any kind of skill, plays a huge role in memory. And if people are dealing with a neurocognitive impairment, certain brain-based disorders, and other kinds of maybe problematic lifestyle factors, using drugs, alcohol, live living a sedentary lifestyle, not eating healthy foods. Those are things that can actually adversely impact neuroplasticity. So why do you want to learn about this topic? Maybe you're new to the topic of neuroplasticity? Well, here's just a few basic things to take into account. If you can support positive neuroplasticity in the clients that you serve, it actually can promote healing, enhance performance, it plays a critical role in recovery, and it is a critical aspect of overall health and well-being. Neuroplasticity is a big topic. Many dimensions to this, many subtopics you'd want to be aware of. This is a very small snapshot of some of the topics you'd want to be aware of. Synaptic plasticity is a term you'd want to be aware of. I put a definition here for all of you. Structural plasticity and functional plasticity. We'll revisit the topic of neuroplasticity in future episodes, but today it's just very basic 101, kind of planting the seeds about a number of topics you're going to want to understand if you truly want to become neuroplasticity informed. Taking a look at this here as well, another term you'd want to be aware of when you're studying neuroplasticity is neurogenesis. It's the development and growth of new neurons. And what can adversely impact the development and growth of new neurons? Well, the aging process as we get older, neuroinflammation, very common among people with spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, neuropsychiatric disorders, traumatic brain injuries, oxidative stress, we've learned about that a little bit in previous episodes. If you work with a person who's had a history of traumatic brain injury, brain trauma, that in and of itself can absolutely impact neurogenesis. What we eat has a lot to do with it. So if you work with clients that eat a lot of unhealthy foods, lots of processed foods, high sugary foods, things of that nature, not good. If you work with clients with alcohol, drug problems, or other kind of addictive behaviors, that can adversely impact neurogenesis. What are some things that can adversely impact neuroplasticity? Well, certain illnesses, brain injuries, chronic stress, trauma, depression, chronic pain, and substance misuse. So the more we can tackle these areas here, you're actually helping your client improve neuroplasticity as well. And why do you again, why do why do you want to care about the topic of neuroplasticity? Well, just pretend you're working with a client. Maybe they don't eat well, they've never exercise, they're not sleeping well, they've had a history of head trauma, maybe they dealt with a lot of other kinds of emotional trauma in their life. Well, those factors, along with many more, can reduce a client's neuroplasticity, which then practically can cause memory issues, more impaired flexibility in their thinking, which is a component of executive function, and it can impact learning, which gets in the way of a client being successful in treatment and remembering what you as a therapist or counselor, case manager, social worker are even teaching them from session to session. I do a lot of work in the area of the first thousand days of life research, and this research basically focuses on day one of conception all the way up to age two. Why do you want to care about this research if you're working with adults? Because this research is very clear. A large percentage of brain development and other processes are developing during this time. And if your client had a lot of trauma prenatally or early on in life, that can impact your client through the lifespan. So the more we can promote positive pregnancy outcomes, early childhood development, that is actually setting up that child for greater success with neuroplasticity throughout the lifespan. And again, on the flip side of this, if you're working with a client, maybe it's an adult, but you know from their history, they were exposed to drugs, alcohol, tobacco, trauma in utero or early on in life, and they have a very high adverse childhood experiences score, those factors that happen to your client several decades before you even met your client can impact their neuroplasticity in the present moment as an adult. If you have worked with clients that have had some of these things happen to them early on in life, maybe you work with people involved in the foster care arena, termination of parental rights, high levels of poverty, homelessness, neglect, tons of stress early on in life, this can have lifelong implications for brain health, including maladaptive neuroplasticity. Anybody that you work with who's dealing with chronic pain-related issues, joint pain, back pain, migraine, gut health-related pain, if you have a client that's dealing with chronic pain issues, that's a client that's dealt with pain for a long time. That in and of itself has been linked with more maladaptive neuroplasticity. So targeting pain and really having an appreciation for pain science is another piece of this big puzzle. If you work with clients who are dealing with social isolation, that in and of itself has been linked to more maladaptive neuroplasticity. So a targeted intervention would be to help clients reduce social isolation and loneliness. And I just wanted to show you this. This is a good study from 2020, and that there's countless studies out there. Why do you want to care about loneliness? Well, chronic loneliness, unfortunately, over a long period of time, may increase the risk of early death. It can have profound negative impacts on brain health, heart health, and all kinds of other aspects of life. So targeting loneliness is so important from a holistic intervention lens. Social isolation. If you work with clients that have a long history of social isolation, impacts brain health, body health. It may contribute to more anxiety and depression, self-worth issues, irritability, hostility, mistrust, these are things that are not good for gut health, and these are things that are not good for brain health. On the flip side of this, from a targeted intervention standpoint, if you can help clients reduce loneliness, isolation, and you can help clients get connected to other people, groups, things of that nature, the benefits associated with social belonging are many and varied. People that feel more connected to others and feel like they matter to other people and they belong to a group, it can play a role in reducing depression, anxiety. It can help lower pain in the body. It can help people sleep better. It can help lower blood pressure, reduce fatigue, improve cognitive functioning. It can play a role in reducing suicide risk and it can help people live longer. So this is just one article of several that I alluded to when we first started today. Emerging research is indicating there is a connection between the gut brain access and our gut microbiota and neuroplasticity. So part of this from a holistic integrative approach, if you want to enhance client neuroplasticity, you also want to help clients improve gut health functioning. And this is just something to remember. We've talked about this in previous episodes. If you are a mental health provider or you're a provider serving clients who are dealing with a number of mental health conditions, more times than not, that client is also dealing with more gut brain access dysfunction. What are some of the key players involved in gut problems and mental health issues? Well, chronic inflammation, intestinal permeability, leaky gut. We had an episode previously on the HPA access. That's a factor. Neurotransmitter, neurohormonal dysfunction. This is something you definitely want to add to your reading list. Well, maybe we'll do an episode in the future on this BDNR or BDNF brain-derived neurotropic factor. Huge topic to be aware of. What your client eats or the lack thereof, these are some of the key players involved in gut problems among clients with mental health-related conditions. And this is a good reminder if you're a mental health provider or working in one of the allied fields, a call to action. Learn as much as you can about neuroplasticity and simultaneously the gut brain access. It should help improve client outcomes when you are focusing on these things. Other variables to take into account here would be if you are working with clients with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, a history of stroke, traumatic brain injury, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and many, many more, research leans in the direction that you are working with clients that probably are dealing with maladaptive neuroplasticity all the time. And equally important, the research says, if you work with these client clients with these conditions, gut brain access dysfunction is very common as well. You work in drug and alcohol treatment programs, you work with clients with substance use issues. That in and of itself is a threat to client neuroplasticity. Helping clients stay sober can also enhance client neuroplasticity. So that was a very quick overview of part one. So part two, how do we make this practical? Through a screening, intervention, and interviewing lens. Well, let's put on our neuroscience hats right now. And this is a very, very small list of factors to consider. In an ideal world, if you're working with clients with mental health conditions, having an appreciation for neurobiological factors that can adversely impact health. So these are some of the factors you'd want to be aware of and topics you'd want to learn about. And what jumps out at me when I see this is I think the biopsychosocial model might be a good path forward for anyone working in the mental health arena, criminal justice, and allied fields. When you work with clients, and we all know this, I just want to remind us too if you're doing a screening session, you're digging into the client's history, it's equally important to capitalize on the good stuff, having that strengths-based perspective. The more you can capitalize on enhancing strengths-related domains, that's good for the client's brain and gut. The more you can understand how your client processes, understands, makes sense of emotions, this is another big area to be aware of. If your client struggles with negative emotionality, they really struggle with naming, labeling, processing, regulating emotions. That's not good for the gut brain access, and that is not good for neuroplasticity. If your client is dealing with a high level of shame, this is a toxic emotion that can adversely impact brain and gut health. So really targeting shame and helping the client reduce these feelings is a very important path forward as well. Here's another variable. A lot of pieces of the puzzle I'm gonna just throw at you. The more we can learn about all these pieces, the better off we can be in targeting this holistically. If your client seems to have an over-reliance or almost addictive like tendencies to playing video games, being on the screen, emailing, watching movies, that is also not good for brain and body health. So another targeted area for intervention. Identify problematic game and screen time use and help the client learn skills to reduce those feelings, those dependencies. It's going to be good for their sleep health and it's good for their brain health. Here's another piece of the puzzle. Maybe we don't think about enough. Does your client not drink water? I've consulted on many cases where the client doesn't drink water. They're relying on sugar sweetened beverages, coffee, things of that nature. And then your client's probably dealing with chronic low-grade dehydration. This slide should sum up why we want to care about this. If your client is not drinking enough water day in and day out, year after year, that in and of itself could be a factor for increasing depression, more confusion in the client, anxiety, fatigue, tension, and irritability. One intervention would be maybe helping your client learn about the importance of drinking the recommended amounts of water that client's brain and body needs on a day-to-day basis. If your client is consuming foods that fall under the umbrella of the Western diet, this is foods that are going to be highly processed. Typically, foods you'll find at a gas station, drive-thru, restaurants, things of that nature. This is not good for their brain or gut health. People that have an over reliance on foods that fall under this umbrella are typically consuming more saturated fats, more sugar, typically more red meat, lower intakes of fiber, and the food is typically processed and is loaded with more preservatives and things of that nature. I just want to show this here if you're interested. If your client eats a lot of fast food, typically fast food tastes good, looks good, but not good for the brain and body. These are some different definitions related to fast food you'll find in the literature. So here's a definition of fast food. Under this umbrella, you'll have junk food, instant foods, and street foods. The more we can be aware of these factors and how eating these foods day in and day out can contribute to poor brain and body health, it's just another piece of that puzzle that can help that client learn skills to help them improve their overall health and well-being. And why do we want to care about the Western diet? Well, this way of eating day in and day out, if you take a look at this slide here, has been linked with higher levels of obesity, chronic inflammation, increases in allergies, diabetes, autoimmune issues, depression, metabolic syndrome, and more neuropsychiatric issues. So what your client eats has a lot to do with their mental health and gut health. I just want to show this here. I've done a lot of uh talks over the years on excessive sugar consumption to different groups. And if your client consumes a ton of processed sugars day in and day out, that may be a factor in contributing to more brain-based impairments, negative neuroplasticity, and more emotional problems, including an increase in anxiety and depression. Here's a few things just to be aware of that I think we all need to be aware of as we get older. And this is equally important for professionals to learn about these things. But what are some factors that can contribute to cognitive decline across the lifespan? Well, there's some things that maybe we can't do much about, like genetics, but there's a lot of things we can do in terms of what's our health status like? Are we going to the dentist? Are we having yearly physicals? How do we live our lifestyle? Do we smoke cigarettes? Are we sleeping in every day till 12 noon and up all night? Are we not eating healthy foods? If we're getting good exercise, these are all things that can contribute to cognitive decline. Another quick overview. We could spend hours on each of these sections. This last section today is all about tips, strategies, solutions, and interventions. Well, what are some things, according to peer-reviewed research literature, that can help enhance neuroplasticity through a lifestyle and behavioral intervention lens? Well, this is kind of what it says in a nutshell. And this is a lovely article from 2025. Well, we probably want to utilize holistic, non-invasive approaches that are cost effective, and there's a multitude of interventions that we can tap into. Maybe it's cognitive therapy, rehabilitation, getting exercise, working with exercise specialists, working with dietitians, nutritionists. There's a multitude of things we can do to help improve neuroplasticity. What are some good habits to get into that can optimize brain health? Really take an examination of what someone eats, exercise, movement, getting good sleep, but also getting plenty of rest. We don't want to go, go, go, go, go day in and day out and never take time to pause and breathe and have lunch, drink water, go for a walk. The more we can capitalize on positive thinking patterns, that's going to be a good thing. The higher levels of optimism, great for brain health. Now, we all know stress is alive and well in our world, but anything we can do to manage stress, get stressed down, getting in the habit of making more autonomous decisions, variety and challenges. So we want to challenge our brain, have variety as well, really hone in on social interactions, being around people that lift us up, make us laugh, make us feel important, developing a mindset of lifelong learning, and then doing these positive things over and over and over again for the rest of our lives. What are some healthy lifestyle behaviors that promote positive neuroplasticity that are found in the literature? It's all common sense here. Getting the right amount of exercise, eating the right kind of foods, capitalizing on sleep health, and also really getting into reading. That is very, very good for neuroplasticity. Other factors that can promote positive neuroplasticity, mindfulness meditation. Again, maybe you're working with a specialist who does cognitive training, sleep, number one to health, in my opinion, positive social engagement, gratitude practices, working with a therapist who does cognitive behavioral therapy can be helpful. And even neurofeedback can be very helpful in promoting positive neuroplasticity. So cognitive training mentioned it a couple times today. It's working with a provider. Who has the right credentials, licensures, qualifications, things of that nature? If you work with somebody through a cognitive training lens, what does that mean? Well, they're probably working with a client on enhancing problem-solving abilities. You're teaching clients about the importance of learning new skills. And then you are having clients engage in mentally stimulating tasks. So this is exercise for the brain. These are all really good things for positive neuroplasticity. So CBT cognitive behavioral therapy, many, many therapists have training in this. And if you're a therapist and you do cognitive behavioral therapy, by default, you're actually helping promote positive neuroplasticity in the clients you serve because CBT approaches really help facilitate positive changes in your clients' thinking patterns and behavioral patterns. So I mentioned lifelong learning before. Great thing for the brain and body, great for neuroplasticity. If you were to look at the lifelong learning benefits in the literature, what does it say? Well, it enhances brain health. It's good for emotional, behavioral, and mental health. It can actually enhance their social network. It can help people feel more fulfilled. It's great for improving self-esteem. Lifelong learning can actually help you get a promotion at your job, career advancement, have better job security. It can help promote confidence. It's great for improving writing, reading, and thinking abilities, self-motivation. It's a great way to reduce boredom. What does some of the literature say about physical activity and enhance neuroplasticity? Well, I talked about brain-derived neurotropic factor just briefly before. Exercise helps release that in the brain. It helps reduce neuroinflammation. It helps reduce oxidative stress, and it can enhance synaptic connections, synaptic plasticity in the brain, and promote positive neurogenesis. This is a very basic level of how and why physical activity helps enhance neuroplasticity. We're going to be releasing an upcoming episode on walking interventions, so be on the lookout for this. But this slide here talks about just the very nature of going out for regular walks can actually promote positive neuroplasticity. And we know walking is typically safe, cost-free, and it's effective. Getting out in nature is an intervention. And you have studies in the literature that do point to the fact that people that spend more time in nature and they're reducing their screen time exposure, that's good for reducing stress, and it may play a role in promoting positive neuroplasticity. If you look at the green space exposure literature in general, this is basically getting out in nature more. What does it say? Great for stress reduction. It can help improve our mood. It's great for mental stimulation. It's great for sleep health. Journaling is another intervention that's talked about in the neuroplasticity literature. Engagement and routine journaling practices is exercise for the brain. And when we're exercising the brain by doing positive things, that in and of itself can promote positive neuroplasticity. What about reflective journaling? Maybe it's someone that really wants to get into journaling and practice some reflective thinking. Well, reflect reflective journaling helps somebody examine their feelings, beliefs, values, and attitudes. This can be great for anybody. If you're to go through many, many journal articles focusing on the benefits of engagement in routine journaling practices, it says it's a form of self-care. It can help reduce stress. Great way to promote creativity, solve problems more effectively. It teaches patients, and it's actually a really good way to boost emotional intelligence. Another intervention we don't think about enough is engagement in jigsaw puzzles. Interestingly, there's quite a bit of therapeutic literature out there about the use of jigsaw puzzles in therapy and counseling practice. If you get clients involved in putting together jigsaw puzzles on a consistent basis, that's good for their brain. It's good for increasing attention, concentration, and it's a great way to enhance memory and problem solving abilities. Here's another intervention we don't think about is bird watching. Getting people out and just watching birds is great for brain and body health. There's quite a bit of literature on this. The benefits of bird watching, according to a 2025 article, indicates it may help people reduce anxiety and stress, improve memory and attention. It's a great way to connect with others. You can learn new skills, and the list goes on. Taekwondo, another area to look at. There are some articles that indicate some people that engage in taekwondo consistently, may it play a role in enhancing neuroplasticity for a variety of reasons. What does the literature say about engagement in regular taekwondo? Well, it can enhance flexibility and balance, strength, stamina, it boosts confidence, and it's a great way to manage stress and self-control. Positive thinking patterns are linked with higher levels of positive neuroplasticity. The more we can practice self-compassion, gratitude, and fostering a sense of joy, that is phenomenal for our brain and body. Promote these positive individual traits in all of us. The more we can have compassion for ourselves, we're building resilience, we stay curious, we seek out more self-knowledge, we have moderation too, taking breaks, practice good self-control. Great for gut health, great for brain health. The more we can practice hope, the more we can instill hope in other people. That is a huge intervention. That's great for brain and body health. And the positive outcomes associated with having higher levels of hope really point to the fact people do better in school and work. They're more healthy, they're more happy, and it can promote overall positive well-being. Self-compassion is just kindness directed inward. People that practice positive self-compassion day in and day out typically don't get sick as much. It helps reduce pain. So, in a chronic pain management program, practicing self-compassion can be very, very good. It's a great way to combat stress, anxiety, and shame. And the list goes on. Here's a few other variables just to plant the seeds with all of us. What about indoor plant exposure? There's some interesting literature out there. Maybe you can't get outside in nature as much. Getting some nature inside your house, getting some plants in there can be good. Getting more natural sunlight exposure. Daytime naps can be a good thing, but you really want to be mindful not overnapping. Too many naps for a long period of time might not be that good. And consider therapeutic coloring, adult coloring books, things of that nature. These are some other interventions to consider. Equally important, so a lot of this is geared toward the client, but for professionals as well, the more we can enhance our own neuroplasticity and have appreciations for these topics, it has been linked with enhanced workplace performance. And again, why do we want to care about enhancing neuroplasticity in ourselves or other people? Because the research is consistent. It can lead to improvements in memory, problem solving, learning creativity, decision making, and the list goes on. And this is another term, just want to plant the seeds with all of you to be aware of. Self-directed neuroplasticity. These are things we can do on our own that can play a role in enhancing neuroplasticity. Active engagement, controlled attention, trying not to multitask, seeking clarity, learning new skills, being intentional, being purposeful, engaging in self-reflection, self-compassion, engaging in positive health habits, and practicing positive thinking on a consistent basis. These are all things related to self-directed neuroplasticity. Wish we had another hour, folks, but hopefully that gives you enough to think about. Dig deeper. Here's my email address. Reach out anytime. Again, if you're looking for a visual and you want to see these slides I showed, check out our YouTube channel and be on the lookout for future episodes. Appreciate all of you and thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 30:39

We hope today's episode provided you with valuable insights into the gut brain connection and its impact across diverse settings. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share. For more information on this topic, resources, and services, visit Pathways Counseling Center.org. Thank you for joining us on the Psychogastroenterologist, where mental health and digestive science converge.