tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522311.post1038372199485298522..comments2024-03-12T03:23:42.976-04:00Comments on NeuroDojo: For new brain cells, go to the wildZen Faulkeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07811309183398223358noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522311.post-44868120647771114402009-11-30T20:07:09.698-05:002009-11-30T20:07:09.698-05:00I think it's entirely plausible. I recall that...I think it's entirely plausible. I recall that some people have shown differences in neural structure (e.g., number of dendrites, etc.) in rats raised in "enriched environments" (a.k.a. "rat heaven" -- big enclosures, many animals, tubes, places to run, etc.) rather than cages. I don't know if anyone has done equivalent experiments for neurogenesis. But then, I haven't looked.<br /><br />A slightly similar effect on neuronal plasticity was seen in barn owls, which showed greater ability to learn if allowed to catch food in the lab rather than being fed things they didn't have to catch (Bergan et al. 2005. Hunting Increases Adaptive Auditory Map Plasticity in Adult Barn Owls. <i>The Journal of Neuroscience</i> <b>25</b>(42):9816-9820. doi: 10.1523/jneurosci.2533-05.2005<br /><br />While they were not looking at neurogenesis, it also showed a similar principle: ecologically relevant tasks reveal greater capacity of nervous system to change.Zen Faulkeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07811309183398223358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3522311.post-47542283807879633922009-11-30T16:02:53.110-05:002009-11-30T16:02:53.110-05:00This is a great paper, and it raises the question ...This is a great paper, and it raises the question of why it has been so hard to find adult neurogenesis in laboratory mammals. Given that an 'enriched' environment seems to increase neurogenesis, is it possible that such 'little' neurogenesis we see in lab mammals has to do with their poor rearing? Do you know of any studies that have loooked at adult neurogenesis in wild rats or mice?kubkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11349408287604184234noreply@blogger.com