ABSTRACT
Can the adult human brain grow new neurons and, if it could, would these new
neurons repair or even enhance its powers? These questions fascinate most
people because they concern human beings and the most distinctive organ
in humans, the brain. Unfortunately, they can be answered in multiple ways
depending on what is meant by “adult,” “brain” and “neurogenesis.” Over the
past two decades, whether and where the brain can show new growth has been a
source of controversy among brain researchers who have disagreed over the
evidence for claims of neurogenesis and over their implications and medical
applications. But in the popular media, expanded in online niches, the potential
for growing new brain cells is asserted enthusiastically, with chatty advice on
how to stimulate mental renewal and bright promises of cures for devastating
brain diseases.
