Marian Diamond: Do you know what’s in her hat box?

     Wow! My Love Affair with the Brain: The Life and Science of Dr. Marian Diamond, was an amazingly brilliant documentary. I definitely plan on watching it again and with my children this time. Considering myself to be a late bloomer and having experienced things in my younger years that I feel impacted my ability to learn, I am fascinated with the idea and fact of neuroplasticity. I also love Albert Einstein and his appreciation for imagination and creativity, as well as intelligence so when I found out this documentary was about both neuroplasticity and Albert Einstein’s brain, I was all in. And too my surprise it is so much more than just those two things. I am embarrassed to say, I had never really heard of Marion Diamond before this but now, oh my is she one of my new inspirational investigative heroes to emulate. What a Woman!

     Dr. Marion Diamond was always a deep thinker, curious about life and her connection to the bigger world around her. Her love affair with the brain really started when she was 15 years old and her father asked if she wanted to come to the hospital with him. While making rounds with him she was able to see a real human brain thus sparking a fire of curiosity within Marion. In 1953 Dr. Marion Diamond was the first woman to receive her PhD in Anatomy from the University of Berkley. She is known as one of the founders of modern neuroscience. Dr. Marion Diamond’s dedicated research found that in fact the brain can change. Neuroplasticity is a real thing and given an enriched environment the brain can change for the better. The top five things that she and her team found to be the most impactful in creating a better brain are:

(1)   Diet - (2) Exercise - (3) Challenge - (4) Newness - (5) Love

Of course, on the flip side in an impoverished environment the brain will shrink thus Marion coined her famous saying “Use it or lose it”.

Some factors that are detrimental to brain growth and change are:

Isolation, sleep deprivation, fear, trauma, and protein deficiency.

     I don’t want to give too much away because if you have not watched the movie yet, I highly recommend you do so. I will leave you with a quote from Marian that I find very inspiring.

“We are masters of our own minds and each one of us has the potential to change our brains to become the person we want to be. What a life. What a responsibility.” (Ryan & Weimberg, 2016, 14:11).

     Oh, if you want to know what she found out about Einstein’s brain, I'll give you a hint it's about glial cells, and just what’s in her hat box, you’ve got to watch the movie!

Ryan, C., & Weimberg, G. (Directors). (2016). My love affair with the brain: The life and science of dr. marian diamond [Film; educational Vimeo]. https://lunaproductions.com/my-love-affair-with-the-brain-streaming-ica-special-offer/