Brain work and brain plasticity

The fact that neurogenesis can occur widely in some mammalian brains while in humans it is limited to hippocampus raises a number of interesting questions about its purpose. The hippocampus is important for learning and memory and in humans it is particularly vulnerable to strokes or diseases such as Alzheimers. What is the role of these new neurons at the cellular, systems, and functional level? How are new neurons incorporated into a highly complex network comprised of hundreds of thousands of neurons making millions of connections? Are the new neurons functional on a temporary or permanent basis? What role, if any, do they play in aging or in the recovery from injury or disease? What do the species differences tell us about brain evolution? How can findings from different species such as rodents and humans best be compared? What characteristics of hippocampal structure and function permits the integration of new neurons while cortical tissue does not? This collaborative activity will use the above questions as a way to explore how best to create links across the different levels of analysis characterizing cellular, systems, and behavioral neuroscience.