The human brain is an amazing organ. Our brains are made of 50-100 billion neurons that process information at lightning speed. The world’s fastest supercomputer doesn’t even come close. We have been given a gift. Each of those neurons are connected to each other by dendrites, which send and receive information between neurons. I presented this in a Samahan meeting back in ‘08, trying to promote Intramural sports. lol. Props to those of you who still remember this and joke around with me and my dendrites. You know who you are =)
When we study in the library or learn new things, we build dendrites. When we study the same material again and again whether by doing problem sets or using flashcards, the dendrites we build between neurons becomes thicker and thicker, and we reinforce those memories by building even more dendrites. Hence, recalling that information for the upcoming test becomes easier and easier. If we barely study for a test, it is difficult to recall information because we are only using a few dendrites for a given question. It is scientifically proven that doing our homework does make a difference. More studying = more dendrites.
Think of it this way. If you were hanging on to a rope for dear life, would you rather be hanging on to a thin string, or a thick rope? The same applies to your dendrites! In the classroom, the ones who ace the test have constructed a very thick rope to save themselves from falling into an F (and maybe even save a friend or two). Now what happens when we drink alcohol and get drunk? Those same dendrites that we built in the library become damaged, or even destroyed.
So much for that all-nighter in the library. That last party may have undone a couple hours of studying. Getting drunk actually does shrinks your brain, microscopically. So what can be done to alleviate this problem? The answer is… Exercise! Exercise rebuilds damaged dendrites, and even restores them to its original state. It also helps keep future damage to dendrites to a minimum. However, it does not restore dendrites that are already completely destroyed. Partying like a rockstar does have its consequences.
So that is the life of a dendrite. Built in the library, damaged at parties, and rebuilt in the gym. haha. Study hard, party harder, but exercise hardest. =)
Source: My Calc III professor, Ray Menegus, in his attempt to make us do our homework. Listening to all of his mumbo jumbo before class started was worth it.
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