ALPHABETICAL BRAIN™ VOCABULARY DETAILS ABOUT POTENTIATION Brain Flash Card #7 April 24, 2016 WHAT IS POTENTIATION AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT? BRAIN SCIENCE FACTS What is the purpose and function of the microscopic process of potentiation (long-term potentiation) in your life? The purpose of potentiation is to make cellular communication possible among all of the neuron brain cells throughout your brain (cranium) and nervous system (body). Potentiation activates the neurons in your neuronal pathways. It is helpful to simplify the most complex three pounds of matter in the universe (your brain) by integrating the idea of potentiation with the overall concept of the global connectivity of your brain's structures and their functions. You can explore how the new brain idea of potentiation relates to the new brain idea about your brain's global connectivity by momentarily focusing your attention on the following circular symbol and the #7 red arrow: See #7 = POTENTIATION PROCESS THIS SYMBOL REPRESENTS A SIMPLIFIED HOLISTIC VIEW OF THE GLOBAL CONNECTIVITY NECESSARY FOR HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS This circular symbol was created to convey a powerful visual image of the previously unimaginable coalescence of the many diverse and interactive physical brain structures that form the wonderful new idea of your self-manifesting holistic brain. The symbol of 14 red arrows pointing toward the circle of human consciousness, depicts a conscious living human brain that is made up of many parts with a sum total of meaning that is greater than all of its separate parts. Each of the 15 brain ideas in the image can converge and merge in your mind to produce the process of your self-directed neuroplasticity or, more simply, your mental force. Potentiation strengthens the action potential spike in a particular neural pathway by adding connections to more neurons through repeated signaling of ionic currents along a specific neural pathway. It is the biochemical signaling process that causes a habit to form through repeating a certain physical behavior or mental idea until it is remembered unconsciously. It happens inside neural pathways when the ionic impulses (biochemical currents or signals) are associated with strong emotions or repeated due to either training or incidental routine behavior. This fundamental biological process can produce new memories of all the sensations that your brain is aware of from both inside and outside your body. For example, procedural memory (muscle memory) deals with physical skills and habits of movement but it is made possible by long-term potentiation. Printable PDF Form DETAILS ABOUT YOUR LONG-TERM POTENTIATION PROCESS #7 (for your own editing and memory consolidation) RECOMMENDATION: Print this PDF version and read it. Underline or highlight with colors the most important new brain ideas to save them in your long-term memory. Then edit this text to personalize it and read your edited version of these ideas in a few hours and in a few days and then a week later to take advantage of the spaced-repetition method of learning. instantly return to: 15 STEPS TO THE STAIRWAY TO ENLIGHTENMENT or instantly return to: ALPHABETICAL BRAIN™ VOCABULARY INDEX produced by Infinite Interactive Ideas™