New research shows the brain continues developing post-birth, with significant neuron migration in the entorhinal cortex enhancing learning and memory capabilities.
The human brain continues to develop long after birth, much longer than previously thought, according to research led by Shawn Sorrells, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. Sorrells’s findings, published in the journal Nature, shed light on key processes that shape critical brain functions like learning, memory, and spatial navigation.
Neuronal Migration in the Entorhinal Cortex
The study reveals that a specific group of inhibitory neurons in the entorhinal cortex (EC)—a region of the brain vital for forming memories—continues to migrate and establish connections from birth through toddlerhood. This extensive postnatal neuronal migration may drive critical periods of neuroplasticity, during which the brain is highly adaptable and responsive to changes.
Additionally, the research suggests a link between this prolonged migration and the vulnerability of EC neurons to neurodegeneration. Previous studies have shown that these same neurons are among the first affected in Alzheimer’s disease, offering a potential explanation for their susceptibility.
Insights From Brain Sample Analysis
By analyzing brain samples that were provided, in part, by the epilepsy tissue bank at UPMC Children ’s Hospital and the Neuropathology Department at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, Sorrells’ research team was first to show that, unlike what was previously thought, neuronal migration of such scale and duration is extensive within regions that control thoughts and emotions. The discovery offers an explanation for how the human brain makes billions of new neurons over a very short time span through a mechanism that allows neurons to continue arriving after birth.
Surprising Findings on Neuronal Recruitment
“It is generally thought that the brain is done recruiting neurons by the time an individual is born,” said Sorrells. “We were incredibly excited to learn that not only does large-scale neuronal migration continue into specific brain regions, but that this process also continues into ages when children are crawling and beginning to walk.”
Reference: “Protracted neuronal recruitment in the temporal lobes of young children” by Marcos Assis Nascimento, Sean Biagiotti, Vicente Herranz-Pérez, Samara Santiago, Raymund Bueno, Chun J. Ye, Taylor J. Abel, Zhuangzhi Zhang, Juan S. Rubio-Moll, Arnold R. Kriegstein, Zhengang Yang, Jose Manuel Garcia-Verdugo, Eric J. Huang, Arturo Alvarez-Buylla and Shawn F. Sorrells, 20 December 2023, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06981-x
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