"Aging and damaged brain cells, or neurons, can cause memory problems and limit the brain's ability to recover from illnesses. Some scientists have posited that if we could just turn on the ability to make new neurons in the brain—a process called neurogenesis—some of these deleterious changes might be reversed."
"Birds, reptiles, fish: they all have widespread neurogenesis throughout their forebrains throughout life. It's really in mammals where we see this restricted."
"The researchers wanted to know how adult neurogenesis affected surrounding brain tissue, so they used an electron microscope to watch how new neurons reach their destination in the brain."
"Researchers had previously assumed neurons might follow structures in the brain called glial scaffolds, which guide neurons to the right place during development."
The human body continuously replaces billions of cells, but the brain has limited neurogenesis, which may protect against memory issues and illness recovery. A study on Zebra Finches revealed that adult neurogenesis affects surrounding brain tissue. Researchers used electron microscopy to observe how new neurons navigate the brain. Contrary to previous beliefs, neurons may not follow glial scaffolds as initially thought. This research suggests that the restricted neurogenesis in mammals could be an evolved protective mechanism rather than a deficiency.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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