kmguru
Staff member
As Good as Old
Scientists have known for the past few years that adult brains can generate new neurons, but they were unsure how well those cells could operate. Fred H. Gage and his colleagues at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif., reported that newly created nerve cells in adults appear to be just as functional as older cells. Looking at adult mice, the researchers discovered that new neurons can eventually develop into forms similar to mature neurons and appear to integrate into the brain's electrophysiological network. The next question to ask, Gage says, is "How does the brain use these new cells? That's what we're working to try to figure out." The work appears in the February 28 Nature.
Scientists have known for the past few years that adult brains can generate new neurons, but they were unsure how well those cells could operate. Fred H. Gage and his colleagues at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif., reported that newly created nerve cells in adults appear to be just as functional as older cells. Looking at adult mice, the researchers discovered that new neurons can eventually develop into forms similar to mature neurons and appear to integrate into the brain's electrophysiological network. The next question to ask, Gage says, is "How does the brain use these new cells? That's what we're working to try to figure out." The work appears in the February 28 Nature.