Contrary to a still widely held belief, the adult brain routinely generates new neurons. Strikingly, one of the two brain regions to which this adult neurogenesis is apparently restricted is the hippocampus. The hippocampus plays a key role in learning and memory, so the role that new neurons can contribute to its function is an inviting area for research. Most current theories on how the hippocampus processes information for storage consider the brain to be a network that is static at the level of neuronal numbers and plastic only at the level of neurites and synapses. However, mounting evidence indicates not only that the hippocampus produces new neurons but also that adult neurogenesis is tightly linked to hippocampal function. New neurons might contribute not only to hippocampal function, but they might also be indispensable to it.

What Is Adult Neurogenesis?

Neurogenesis is the development of neurons from neural...