Adult Neurogenesis

The idea that the adult brain of mammals can generate new neurons has only recently been accepted by the scientific community, and research in this exciting area is now in full swing. Bringing together leading researchers in the field of adult neurogenesis, the 30 chapters in this monograph provide a valuable overview of this emerging field and lay the groundwork for future studies. Adult Neurogenesis includes discussions on neural stem cell biology; methods and models for studying adult neurogenesis; physiological and molecular processes and their control; related neurological diseases; and comparisons of neurogenesis in humans, birds, fish, and invertebrates. It will be of interest to all researchers in neurobiology as well as those in the medical field, as it has implications for understanding depression, epilepsy, and other psychiatric disorders.

It has only recently become understood that, in the adult mammalian brain, new neurons are born from stem cells residing in discrete locations and these new neurons migrate, differentiate, and mature into newly integrated, functioning cells. Gage (Salk Institute for Biological Studies, US), Kempermann (Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Germany), and Song (Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, US) present 30 chapters providing an overview of recent research into this process of adult neurogenesis. Papers address in vivo and in vitro methods; basic processes; molecular and physiological mechanisms; regulation; functional significance; relationships to neurological diseases and therapies; and comparative neurogenesis in teleost fish, songbirds, and humans. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)