It is now well established that the adult mammalian brain contains stem cells which continue to generate new neurons throughout life. This discovery, and subsequent research, has transformed the way we think about the brain. It is, for example, known that physical and mental exercise can stimulate the growth of new nerve cells in a part of the brain which shrinks in Alzheimer's and depression, and so it is believed that such activities can reduce the risk of both conditions.
Despite all this, little is known about the mechanisms by which neural stem cells are directed to generate neurons.…
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