Learning ability is not comparable to that of elementary school students? Yes, because of this chemical in the brain!

Figure 1 Research results (Source: [1])

Effective learning means being able to learn more content in a given amount of time, which requires learners to quickly consolidate the learning content after training, that is, stabilize the fragile and malleable learning state after training into a solid memory
that is not disturbed by new learning content.
Past studies in adults have shown that GABA plays an important role in stabilizing learning status, while in children, the GABA-dependent system is not fully mature, and GABA levels are low, so it is concluded
that children are not as efficient as adults.

However, previous studies have not combined the measurement of GABA with specific stages of learning (i.
e.
, before, during, and after learning), so it is difficult to reveal the mechanism
behind GABA's impact on learning efficiency.
To this end, a neuroscience research team from Brown University in the United States and the University of Regensburg in Germany compared the changes in GABA concentrations in the visual cortex before, during and after the start of visual learning tasks in children (8 to 11 years old) and adults (18 to 35 years old), hoping to find answers
.

The results showed that children did have less total GABA in their bodies than adults before learning began, however during learning, children showed a rapid increase in GABA concentration, and this increase persisted even for some time after the training ended
.
The GABA level of adults did not fluctuate
throughout the experiment.
This suggests that GABA concentrations in children rapidly increase as new learning programs unfold, quickly stabilizing
their fragile and malleable learning state.

Fig.
2 Changes of GABA concentration before, during and after training (Source: [1])

Figure 3 Design and results of behavioral experiments (Source: [1])

Sebastian M.
Frank, lead author of the study and now at the University of Regensburg in Germany, said: "This shows that children do stabilize new learning faster than adults, which is consistent with
the general view that children's learning ability is better than that of adults.
" Children are able to stabilize within minutes of the end of the course, while adults remain in a "fragile and malleable" state for at least an hour after the course ends, and are therefore more susceptible to retrograde interference, where later learning affects the consolidation
of prior knowledge.

Figure 4 Conceptual diagram of GABA level change to support children's efficient learning (Source: [1])

The researchers also found that continuous learning appeared to further increase GABA concentrations in children, allowing for faster stabilization of previous learning
.
This will further encourage teachers and parents to provide more opportunities for children to learn new skills and potentially change neuroscientists' perception of
children's brain maturity.

Frank said: "Although children have poor inhibitory performance in areas such as cognitive control or attention, children have shown efficient GABA inhibition mechanisms and are better capable than adults
," Frank said.
"This means that GABA inhibitory mechanisms may mature at different rates when it comes to cognitive different functions
.
"

Takeo Watanabe, a cognitive psychologist at Brown University and senior author of the study, believes that although the study revolves around visual learning, the findings can be generalized to other types of learning
.
The results will also help adults learn more efficiently," for example, by developing new therapies
that increase the amount of GABA in the adult brain.
”

Written by | Wind Standing Night