The Dynamic Brain: Neuroplasticity and Mental Health

This issue's Windows to the Brain series describes the ways in which the adult brain, once thought to be “fixed and stable,” adapts to and recovers from various “brain-altering” conditions. The processes of neurogenesis, migration, and pruning do, in fact, occur in response to both learning and injury. These processes may include synapse-formation, axonal sprouting, and dendritic remodeling, which can be demonstrated with currently-available labeling techniques that highlight newly proliferated cells. Factors such as environmental enrichment, exercise, and learning, and treatment approaches such as ECT and long-term antidepressant administration have been associated with increased neurogenesis; whereas chronic stress, illness, and depression have been correlated with decreased neurogenesis.