that many researchers used to think you couldn’t treat amblyopia once someone was past around six to eight years old. Now, at least one study has shown that the eyepatch method did work in some people in their late teens. And this method and other therapies have also been shown to help adults with amblyopia. That suggests the visual cortex has some plasticity later in life. But scientists are also looking for ways to just flat-out increase brain plasticity in adults. That wouldn’t just help with amblyopia, but could also help people recover from strokes and other brain injuries. So far, these studies have been done on animals like rats, and there’s a lot to learn before researchers start human trials. But so far, experiments have found ways to increase plasticity in adult rodents’ brains. Some of them come back to those inhibitory neurons and chemicals like GABA. The idea is that, if the development of inhibition in the brain is what closes critical periods…well, maybe stopping inhibition would open them up again. And studies have found evidence for that. In a NUMBER_TOKEN paper from The Journal of Neuroscience, researchers deprived rats of vision in one eye — basically, trying to create something like amblyopia. Then, they took four of the rats and used a drug to reduce GABA activity in their visual cortices. Another four rats got saline injections as a control. After that, the team tested how much the rats’ brains had changed in response to their simulated amblyopia. And the results were encouraging! In the rats that got saline, their brains didn’t change. They were using both eyes equally. But in rats where the scientists had reduced GABA, their brains adapted and were favoring the stronger eye. This suggested that reducing GABA made their visual cortices more plastic, like what you’d find in a younger rat. That said, there is a catch: Other research has found that some chemicals that reduce GABA can also cause seizures. So until we learn that this treatment would be safe, it isn’t ready to test in humans. But research is ongoing! And scientists are also exploring ways to affect inhibition without messing with GABA. Because on their own, the plasticity adult brains already have is amazing. It allows us to keep learning, growing, and sometimes healing throughout our lives. But if we could tap into the extra adaptability our brains had as kids… that would mean some amazing things for medicine. Now, if you’re a teacher who works with kids and their superpowered brains, check out today’s sponsor, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Teacher Innovator Institute! The Teacher Innovator Institute is an all-expense-paid development intensive for NUMBER_TOKENth through NUMBER_TOKENth grade STEAM teachers from the United States. For two consecutive summers, you would spend two weeks in Washington DC. And there, you’d tour museums, gain expert knowledge from museum educators, and work with other teachers, with the goal of using aerospace science, history, and technology to shape your ideas about authentic learning and ways to bring informal education techniques into your classrooms. The NUMBER_TOKEN cohort will welcome up to NUMBER_TOKEN teachers and will be focused on early career teachers with less than NUMBER_TOKEN years in the classroom, as well as educators of color, LGBTQ+ educators, and educators with disabilities. Wondering if you or a teacher
START_SPONSOR_TOKEN Now, if you’re a teacher who works with kids and their superpowered brains, check out today’s sponsor, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Teacher Innovator Institute! The Teacher Innovator Institute is an all-expense-paid development intensive for NUMBER_TOKENth through NUMBER_TOKENth grade STEAM teachers from the United States. For two consecutive summers, you would spend two weeks in Washington DC. And there, you’d tour museums, gain expert knowledge from museum educators, and work with other teachers, with the goal of using aerospace science, history, and technology to shape your ideas about authentic learning and ways to bring informal education techniques into your classrooms. The NUMBER_TOKEN cohort will welcome up to NUMBER_TOKEN teachers and will be focused on early career teachers with less than NUMBER_TOKEN years in the classroom, as well as educators of color, LGBTQ+ educators, and educators with disabilities. Wondering if you or a teacher END_SPONSOR_TOKEN