This is a real time photo of Diffusion Spectral Imaging (DSI) that was taken from the Human Connectome Project – a project that is referred to as being as significant as the Human Genome Project – but for the brain!
This type of imaging allows scientists to map nerve fiber connections (white matter tracts) that carry information between cells. To study specific circuits in the brain, scientists can isolate a subset of axons by color coding them. The human brain and the human mind function as two different entities while working as a unit. The brain builds neuronal connections around your mind’s predominant thoughts and habits. It also disconnects neuronal connections of thoughts your mind may no longer think or practice. This is why it typically takes around twenty-one days to make or break a habit. The human mind influences more than just our brain’s neuronal connections, it also has an intimate relationship with our entire body. Since we have conscious control over the mind, the thoughts and habits that we choose to create for ourselves are what the brain wires itself around. Quite literally, it is adapting to every single thing you do and think. Choosing to build your dominant thoughts around positivity and ideas of the ‘healthiest version of yourself’ increases your propensity to make healthier choices due to the way your brain chooses to fire while you’re in a positive mind state. This means that over time, your mind can transform not only your brain, but also your physical body.
Written by Student Doctor Navpreet Singh Badesha
