Learning Affects Synapses but Synapses Affect Learning??

This chapter was another chapter that had me astonished more than anything. The relationship between brain activity and neural synapses is very intriguing and for me perhaps even a little confusing. I appreciate any feedback I can receive to help me understand more completely.

I recall having discussions about synapses in class this semester already. I also remember being rather concerned with the fact that you are born with many, and lose them over time. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not in the best athletic shape, but I am fine with that. What I am not fine with is not being in top mental shape. I never want to lose my ability to learn and acquire new knowledge. I found the discussion on overproducing and releasing synapses very intriguing. I was born about as cross-eyed as a baby can get. I now realize just how lucky I am. I had two operations in order to correct my eyes, and that was at 2 and 3 years of age. I'm fortunate that my brain was able to recover perfect vision. However, later in life, a scar muscle started pulling my one eye out and I could see but my brain must have involuntary compensated for that muscle and began to rely on one eye. The only reason I knew I had a problem was because friends would tell me that one eye was looking in another direction than my other eye. I had a third operation on my eye to correct this eye and I remember the doctor saying take it easy for a day or so after I take my eye patch off as I had to allow time for my brain to make an "updated connection". My brain did in fact make an updated connection, as I noticed my full peripheral vision range had returned. The whole idea is incredible for me to think about after reading this article.

What really got me thinking was the rat experiment. According to the research, the rats that had a choice as well as those that did not had higher blood vessel density. But when it came to synaptic production, the acrobat group was the top achiever. The mandatory and voluntary groups just exercised by running a treadmill. The acrobats had to perform on an elevated obstacle course which I suppose meant in addition to merely exercising, they had to think about what they were doing to achieve greater success along continued attempts. This created new synapses but not necessarily more activity. What does that mean? Learning creates new synapses regardless of age as opposed to the number of synapses equal capacity to learn which would be affected by age to a degree? Am I understanding this correctly? I'd like to think I am, because it means good things when thinking about the ability to learn was we age.