Rewire Your Brain: Think Your Way to a Better Life

spindle cells
(or
spindle neurons
) has focused 
attention on people 
’ s ability to make effective snap decisions. 
Spindle neurons are found in great numbers in the part of the 
brain called the
cingulate cortex
. These neurons are able to connect 
divergent information quickly and effi ciently in ways that have not 
been seen in other species. Spindle cells provide a unique inter-
face between your thoughts and your emotions. As such, they aid 
your ability to maintain sustained attention and self - control. They 
provide you with the fl exibility to make quick but complex problem -
solving decisions in emotionally stirring situations. 
Spindle cells can ’ t do their magic, however, if they have little to 
work with. In other words, you have to lay the rewiring groundwork 
in your brain by learning new information and forming new talents. 
Snap judgments and insights are made by integrating information 
from neural nets that you have already formed.
Snap Judgments 
The spindle cell is a class of neurons that responds extremely quickly. 
It is found to be more abundant in the human brain than in that 
of any other species. The human brain has a thousand times more 
spindle cells than our closest ape relatives possess. Many theorists 
regard this as one of the reasons we can make snap judgments. These 
cells are so named because they look like spindles, with a large bulb 
at one end and a long, thick extension. Because they are about four 
times larger than other neurons and have such long and thick dimen-
sions, they are believed to make high - velocity transmission possible. 
Hence the
snap
in
snap judgment
. 
The location of spindle cells and their connection of the regions 
of the social brain illustrate their importance in social relatedness, 
emotion, and therapy. Spindle cells have rich synaptic receptors for 
dopamine, serotonin, and vasopressin, which play a role in mood 
and thus in our emotional experiences and bonding. They form con-
nections between the cingulate cortex and the OFC. 
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14 Rew i r e
Yo u r
B r a i n
The front portion of the cingulate cortex contains many spindle 
cells that connect diverse parts of the brain and are involved in 
bonding and social communication. 
Let ’ s say you are on your way to New Orleans for vacation when 
you hear a radio report that Hurricane Katrina is about to hit the city. 
Your spindle cells kick into action, and you immediately reroute 
to Houston. Once you are in Houston, you hear that hundreds of 
Katrina evacuees are being sent to the Astrodome, so you decide to 
spend part of your vacation volunteering in a soup kitchen there. 
These were all snap decisions that were made in complex and 
emotionally charged circumstances. Years later you may view that 
vacation as one of your most rewarding and memorable. 
Every time you remember that story, certain synaptic connec-
tions are strengthened and certain ones are weakened, based on the 
details that you remember. As you discuss the events that led you 
to Houston, the story becomes modifi ed, and so does your brain. 
Your friends may talk about the government ’ s poor response, and 
other synaptic connections are made with those memories. You are 
essentially rewiring your brain every time you review the story in 
your mind. 
Deep within the brain are two structures that are involved in 
memory. One is the
amygdala
, named after the Latin word for 
“ almond, ”