Here’s the strange thing, though. Dendritic spines are sort of like lie detectors. The new spines and their synapses only begin the growing process if you’re really focusing on the new information you want to learn. You can’t kid them. Dendritic spines can tell whether you’ve been playing video games or texting your friends instead of studying. In fact, even if new dendritic spines and synapses form, they can easily fade away and disappear if you don’t practice them. Use it or lose it.
