Study Reveals Secrets of Adult Neurogenesis

A recent publication described a novel in vivo method for studying one of the few examples of neurogenesis that persists in the adult animal.

The study conducted at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Jerusalam, Israel) was carried out using a mouse model. A combination of advanced microscopic imaging techniques, time-lapse photography, and a genetically engineered and labeled lentivirus was used to follow the development and maintenance of neurons in the olfactory bulb.

Results published in the April 2007 edition of Nature Neuroscience revealed that neuron formation was highly dynamic with distinct differences between spiny neurons and non-spiny neurons. Furthermore, once incorporated into the network of the olfactory bulb, adult-born neurons remained dynamic and capable of continuous change for at least several months after their integration.

Author of the study, Dr. Adi Mizrahi, professor of neurobiology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said, "The structural and functional complexity of nerve cells remains one of the biggest mysteries of neuroscience, and we now have a model to study this complexity directly. There are only a few small areas in the brain which are capable of neurogenesis, and they hide secrets we want to reveal.”


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Hebrew University of Jerusalem