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I thought jlustick made a very interesting point about the potential for the pathways and connections of the nervous system to change over time.  It seems pretty apparent to me from all that we’ve discussed thus far that the way an individual perceives, acts, thinks, and behaves, is directly related to his or her neuronal activity (and that this neuronal activity is, in turn, dictated not only by the amount of neuronal units available, but also by their specific and unique linkages to other neurons).  This being the case, I believe that changes in behavior or thought due to things like aging or acquisition of knowledge would also be influenced/accompanied by alterations to this structural composition of the nervous system.  Therefore, I think that if diseases such as Alzheimer’s can be linked to the negative effects of neurofibrillary ‘tangling’ (implying that the ‘proper’ connections of the nervous system’s efficient design have been compromised), that it would be just as likely that a person who is expanding their knowledge (via schooling, studying, or other means) has the ability to improve or more efficiently modify their neuronal connections.  In this way, it would be possible to create more efficient input and output pathways that would ultimately improve the execution of particular functions.