Neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus: history, regulation, and prospective roles.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing historical and mechanistic concepts without primary data or systematic review methodology.
PubMed 30433866 · doi:10.1080/00207454.2018.1545771
What was done
This narrative review summarizes the history, regulatory mechanisms (intracellular, extracellular, pathological, and environmental), and functional implications of adult hippocampal neurogenesis and its relationship to brain plasticity.
What was found
The abstract reports no empirical data, sample sizes, or quantitative findings. It describes adult neurogenesis as an active, debated plastic process occurring in regions including the dentate gyrus, olfactory bulb, and hypothalamus, noting its potential relevance to behavioral adaptation, neuropsychiatric disorders, neurodegenerative disease, and neural repair.
Why it matters
It provides a broad conceptual overview of how newborn neurons integrate into adult brain circuitry and how endogenous neurogenesis might be leveraged to understand brain pathology and regenerative strategies.
Limits
The paper is a non-systematic narrative review lacking predefined search criteria, quality appraisal of cited literature, or primary human data. No quantitative conclusions or effect sizes are provided.
Cited by
- supports The adult human brain does not generate new neurons across most regions, producing only tiny numbers in areas such as the olfactory bulb and the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus.