Image from Miguel et al. 2019 Early environmental influences on the development of children’s brain structure and function (https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.reed.idm.oclc.org/doi/full/10.1111/dmcn.14182)
What changes your brain?
When does your brain start changing? When does your brain stop changing? Does it ever stop changing? Are the changes good or bad? What affects how your brain changes?
These are all questions that the scientists who study neurogenesis are trying to answer!
Neurogenesis: What is it?
What is neurogenesis? Neurogenesis can be defined as the process by which new neurons (brain cells) are generated. It is a complex process that occurs throughout life in certain regions of the brain, such as the hippocampus and olfactory bulb. During neurogenesis, neural stem cells divide and turn into mature neurons, which then can integrate into our existing neural networks and contribute to various brain functions. The process of neurogenesis is important for learning and memory, as well as for recovery from brain damage or degeneration.
Image from Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Proneural_genes_in_neurogenesis_and_gliogenesis_pathway.png
Various factors can influence neurogenesis, including exercise, diet, stress, and environmental enrichment. Studies have suggested that promoting neurogenesis may have therapeutic benefits for certain neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Overall, neurogenesis is an important process that contributes to the brain’s ability to adapt and change throughout life. You can learn more about neurogenesis and how scientists study neurons [link to neurogenesis by Kyle].
Environmental effects of Neurodevelopment:
The environmental factors that shape our development can vary from pollutants such as smoke to more abstract factors such as stress. These factors can shape our development at any age from prenatal well into adulthood.
For environmental effects on prenatal neurodevelopment…
For environmental effects from birth through adulthood…
Content written and collated by Ana Topsana and Brenna Phelan, Reed ’23