Plasticity and Our Sense of Touch

The concept of brain plasticity (also known as neuroplasticity) is one that is relatively new and quite complex. Essentially, our brains are constantly changing to adapt to new information that is being acquired in our brains. Our sense of touch is the most connected sense of perception that affects plasticity because "Intensive practice with touch can change the organization of your brain's touch areas. For example, not only do the visual brain areas change in the blind, but the brain's touch areas (somatosensory cortex) also change..." (Rosenblum, p. 137). Because of the many touch receptors that our body has, our brains experience these changing sensations every moment of every day, and they contribute to the shaping and cognitive processes of our brains.