Adult Neurogenesis by Gerd Kempermann ISBN 9780197519233, 9780197519264, 0197519237, 0197519261 instant download

Adult Neurogenesis by Gerd Kempermann ISBN 9780197519233, 9780197519264, 0197519237, 0197519261 instant download

Adult neurogenesis—the development of new neurons under the conditions of the adult brain—is an exception, not the rule, but we know today that the new neurons contribute to key brain functions. This particularly applies to neurogenesis in the hippocampus of adult mammals, including rodents and humans, where adult neurogenesis contributes to specific functions in learning and memory. Adult neurogenesis in the olfactory system is essentially found throughout the animal kingdom. Many species have additional neurogenic zones that show diffuse neurogenesis in adulthood. Adult neurogenesis arises from specialized populations of neural stem cells that are maintained throughout life and depends on specific neurogenic niches that provide permissiveness for neuronal development in the otherwise non-neurogenic adult brain. In mammals, unlike other animals, adult neurogenesis is not a regenerative process but contributes to lifelong plasticity. It has thus large medical implications. The book gives a comprehensive state-of-the-art overview of adult neurogenesis, seven decades after its discovery by Josef Altman. It covers the history of the field; key concepts, including neural stem cells and neurogenic niches, the two canonical neurogenic regions in the hippocampus and olfactory bulb; proposed yet mostly contested additional cases of adult neurogenesis throughout the brain; and detailed coverage of the regulation and function of adult-born neurons, as well as a discussions of species differences and the medical implications. It conveys the fascination of brain development that never ends.