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What does our brain tell us
when it is not doing anything?
In fact, much.
The study of the brain at rest
is a new research methodology
fundamental to advance in the knowledge
of brain functioning.
Researchers from the Universitat Jaume I
and the Pompeu Fabra University
show that connections of the brain at rest
can predict the ability to learn.
[Noelia Ventura, researcher]
-We saw how connections of two areas
associated to this process of learning
of a new task
predicted the brain's learning ability.
We saw it thanks to
a functional magnetic resonance at rest
followed by a resonance
performing a task.
-Participants should distinguish
between two similar phonemes of Hindi,
and the ones who did it better
where those whose brain at rest
had a greater connection
between the two areas involved.
Research has also shown
how the learning process
modifies the associated areas of the brain.
As the latest research confirms,
the brain is plastic and it can be modified
throughout life.
The study of the brain
through functional magnetic resonance at rest
offers interesting applications.
-This methodology can be generalized.
We can take a study at rest
driven by a study of tasks
and we can guide those regions
associated with the task
in a state of rest,
when they are not doing anything:
the participant has his/her eyes closed,
trying not to think about anything,
and he/she doesn't have to sleep.
This state gives us information
about the possibilities of the brain,
how can it learn,
and this is important
to apply to clinical
and especially to educational level.
- When the brain is doing nothing,
it provides a lot of information.