Sign language is all about patterns. It creates motion with meaning
and connects multiple areas of the brain and body all at once. Like
learning to ride a bicycle, once sign language is mastered, it is rarely
forgotten. It appears that this “skill memory” has an unlimited
storage capability in the brain and is among the most easily retrieved of all longterm
memories. Why is this so?
There is a barrier between the blood and the brain. It’s called the “blood-brain
barrier.” (Creative, huh?) There are only two natural molecules small enough to
make it through this barrier: oxygen and glucose. Singing and signing at the same
time floods the brain with both.
The higher the oxygen level in the brain, the more it can focus and stay alert.
Think of it: when you sing you move your diaphragm up and down, breathe
harder, and connect a whole array of muscles together, stimulating the brain. A
myriad of new connections (synapses) appear. Neurons throughout the body link
with neurons in the brain to memorize the song. Add sign language to the song
and you connect neurons throughout the body with the meaning of the song while
pumping glucose into the brain. Glucose creates the “glue” (Glial cells) that holds
neurons in place and insulates them to make them fire more efficiently. Every time
the song and sign are repeated, synapses get more and more efficient in
recognizing a whole array of sensory input. The song and sign together become a pattern that the brain can easily recall, retrieve and relive. This imprint is so
powerful that even by closing your eyes and visualizing the Bible song and sign,
your brain will retrieve the pattern from its memory banks and allow you to
reinforce it.
Aside from the oxygen and glucose you get while singing and signing a verse,
watching your friends sing and sign can be fun, too. This positive emotional boost
pumps a dozen or more memory-enhancing neurotransmitters (adrenalin,
serotonin, and dopamine) into the blood stream. By adding dance to the song and
sign, the motor cortex in your frontal lobe connects to the internal gyroscope in
the bones behind your ear, which connects to your somatic sensory cortex in the
parietal lobe, which registers the location of your arms and hands in space. (Okay,
that is more than you want to know.) Suffice it to say, teach with song, sign
language and dance, and you’ll be feeding the brain the patterns it craves as well as
the chemicals it needs to solidify the thoughts in place.
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