Overview
neurogenesis
Quick Reference
The growth of new neurons to replace damaged ones. Throughout most of the 20th century, neuroscientists believed that this regenerative capacity was absent from the central nervous system and that it occurred only in the peripheral nervous system, but it was discovered shortly before the end of the century that neural stem cells in the ventricles and the hippocampus of the brain divide and proliferate, and that some of them migrate to other areas of the brain such as the olfactory bulbs to form new neurons. Techniques to stimulate neurogenesis may help in the treatment of stroke patients and people with Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. [From Greek neuron a nerve + genesis birth]
From: neurogenesis in A Dictionary of Psychology »
Subjects: Science and technology — Psychology
