Optimal brain process requires balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurons

Re:Optimal brain process requires balance between excitatory... by Frummy on Monday March 10, 2025 @12:38AM (#43317070)

Beyond momentary balance, I wonder what the process of looking away and daydreaming for 3 minutes then resuming with an insight will look like once implemented somewhere. There’s some form of benefit. Turning off focused attention, the subconcious steals the ball and entertains the primary attention with a little unrelated circus, then passes back the ball with something new to the focused attention.

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Re:Optimal brain process requires balance between excitatory... by ycombinete on Monday March 10, 2025 @01:40AM (#43317313)

I find this even with activities that require novel dexterity. (e.g. learning something on piano, or something in leather/woodwork).

I get a bit better at them immediately, but that plateaus. (Often, I actually start to get worse at it, as I fatigue.)

On returning after a break I'm usually much better at it than my previous best.

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Re:Optimal brain process requires balance between excitatory... by Malcolmlisk on Monday March 10, 2025 @04:05AM (#43318020)

This has been discussed in competitive videogames too. Usually people think that playing more and more is better, when actually having some days without playing is the best way to improve yourself.

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Re:Optimal brain process requires balance between excitatory... by ay on Monday March 10, 2025 @03:57AM (#43317974)

Just noticing this exact phenomenon as a beginner learning wing foil: over two days, one day I can barely stand up, and only on one side, feeling very wobbly.

The very next day, I am easily standing up on both sides, and can pump (which involved jumping on the board and jerk-pulling the wing).

There was definitely something happened with my brain while I didn’t train.

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Re:Optimal brain process requires balance between excitatory... by BiteCode_dev on Monday March 10, 2025 @04:15AM (#43318070)

One of my friends is a doctornspecialist in treating musicians. He told le once it is a well known phenomenon, and worst, if you practice too much without rest, you can damage your brain in a way that makes it difficult to progress later.

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Re:Optimal brain process requires balance between excitatory... by samuell on Monday March 10, 2025 @03:49AM (#43317923)

Yes, I noticed that doing finger agility exercises (on the piano) implies huge improvements for the day after, while very limited benefits for the same day.

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Re:Optimal brain process requires balance between excitatory... by brianmario on Monday March 10, 2025 @02:19AM (#43317482)

I've noticed this with drums too. Trying out more complex things that required more coordination than I'd typically been able to use up to that point... I noticed that after taking a long break - like 6mo, between bands, etc - with me playing very little in between, I could then sit down and play the thing I couldn't before effortlessly.

I still don't understand it, but I'm here for it.

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Re:Optimal brain process requires balance between excitatory... by energy123 on Monday March 10, 2025 @02:11AM (#43317448)

Control over default mode network

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