[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>>Actually not many new neurons
are added to the brain after the second trimester; Neurons form near the
cavities within the brain (ventricles) and then they migrate out to the surface
of the brain along structural cells (radial glial cells). It used to be said
that no new neurons form naturally but some recent work done by one of the
Neurodologist's at my institution (Steve Goldman) has shown that some neurons
can be induced to reproduce; this has enormous implications for the future of
brain therapies. What does form is new connections within the brain. The brain
undergoes myelination over time and this proces continues well after birth;
humans are unique in the extent to which we develop our brains after
birth. <<
>>
...Basically you cannot simply code for specific neurons to hook up with other
specific neurons; What you code for is the process by which neurons attempt to
hook up with each other. <<
A few years ago, I read
about a study of song birds that showed they actually lose part of their brain
during the fall, and then grow it back in time for spring. (Although that's
probably a gross overgeneralization of what they found.) But if this Dr. Goldman
has shown that neurons can reproduce in a human brain, it sounds like a great
step forward. Very cool indeed!
Um, this is probably a really silly question, but I
know zilch about biology - doesn't the way neurons connect to each other
have something to do with memories and rational thought? I remember reading
somewhere that CAT scans (or some such technology) showed that brain activity
was very high when subjects learned a new skill (like memorizing words in a
foreign language), but after the subjects mastered the skill through practice,
brain activity decreased, because the brain had found the most efficient
connections to use. Learning the new skill actually changed the way that the
neurons were connected.
Matt Grimaldi
wrote:
>>
Hmm...growing new neurons could lead to some very
interesting therapies indeed. Besides re-growing damaged parts of the brain we
could find ourselves looking at enhancements... <<
It would be a whole
new world, all right. Shoud be some great sceince fiction stories in there
somewhere. :-)
Kevin
Street
