brain plasticity: making new neurons (Introduction)

by David Turell , Monday, October 13, 2014, 15:45 (3695 days ago) @ David Turell

"For decades, scientists thought that neurons in the brain were born only during the early development period and could not be replenished. More recently, however, they discovered cells with the ability to divide and turn into new neurons in specific brain regions. The function of these neuroprogenitor cells remains an intense area of research. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) report that newly formed brain cells in the mouse olfactory system—the area that processes smells—play a critical role in maintaining proper connections. The results were published in the October 8 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience."- - ""This is a surprising new role for brain stem cells and changes the way we view them," said Leonardo Belluscio, Ph.D., a scientist at NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and lead author of the study"-http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-10-scientists-unexpected-role-stem-cells.html