The Neurocity

A Journey Through Learning, Dopamine, and Neural Infrastructure

Imagine for a moment your brain as a bustling, intricate city. Its buildings are the neurons and the roads, the neural pathways connecting these structures. Every time you learn something new, it’s akin to constructing a new route in this city of neurons – the ‘neurocity’.

This neurocity isn’t ordinary. Its roads are built not of asphalt, but of nerve fibers known as axons. These axons are covered in a layer of fat called myelin. Think of myelin as the tarmac on a road; the thicker it is, the quicker and smoother the journey. This process of myelin thickening is termed myelination. Myelination is fundamental to learning; it turns a rutted track into a high-speed highway, enhancing the efficiency of your thought processes and recall.

But how does the neurocity decide where to lay these new highways, or when to upgrade the existing ones? Enter dopamine, the equivalent of our city planner. When you accomplish something rewarding, like successfully solving a challenging puzzle or acing a test, your brain releases dopamine. This ‘city planner’ then flags the pathway you used to achieve this victory, earmarking it for upgrades.

Dopamine essentially gives your brain the signal to reinforce the myelin on those neural pathways. It’s a biological…