Your brain can still make new neurons when you’re an adult. But how does the rare birth of these new neurons contribute to cognitive function?
Neurons are the cells that govern brain function, and you are born with most of the neurons you will ever have during your lifetime. While the brain undergoes most of its development during early life, specific regions of the brain continue to generate new neurons throughout adulthood, although at a much lower rate. Whether this process of neurogenesis actually happens in adults and what function it serves in the brain is still a subject of debate among scientists.
Past research has shown that people with epilepsy or Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias develop fewer neurons as adults than people without these conditions. However, whether the absence of new neurons contributes to the cognitive challenges patients with these neurological disorders face is unknown.
