Neurogenic plasticity and brain development

大脑中新神经元的产生，一个被称为神经发生的过程，贯穿一生。这是由于存在少量的干细胞，这些干细胞持续存在于大脑的特定区域（称为干细胞龛），这些干细胞经历细胞分裂以产生功能上整合到现有神经回路中的新神经元。过去20年的研究表明，成熟大脑中的神经发生不是一个被动的过程，而是可以在干细胞分裂的速度、产生的新神经元的类型或新神经元存活的程度方面进行修改。这种形式的结构可塑性，在这里被称为“神经源性可塑性”，被认为取决于大脑与动物环境相互作用的内在机制。然而，我们对这种相互作用的理解是相当有限的，这代表了该领域的一个非常感兴趣的话题。我们的研究调查了动物的外部环境如何影响大脑中的神经发生，以及这是否会影响行为。

The production of new neurons in the brain, a process called neurogenesis, continues throughout life. This is made possible by the existence of small populations of stem cells that persist in defined regions of the brain (called stem cell niches) that undergo cell division to produce new neurons functionally integrating into existing neural circuits. Research over the last 20 years has shown that neurogenesis in the mature brain is not a passive process, but instead can be modified with respect to the rate of stem cell division, the type of new neurons produced, or the extent to which new neurons survive. This form of structural plasticity, referred to here as ‘neurogenic plasticity,’ is thought to depend on mechanisms that are intrinsic to the brain interacting with the animal’s environment. However, our understanding of this interaction is quite limited and this represents a topic of intense interest in the field. Our research investigates how an animal’s external environment influences neurogenesis in the brain and whether this affects behaviour.