10. Lošinjski dani bioetike - Hrvatsko filozofsko društvo

Uloga neurogeneze u odraslom mozgu proučava se pokusima na životinjama,
prvenstveno mišu i štakoru. S obzirom na to da se odvija u hipokampusu,
neurogeneza je povezana s pamćenjem i učenjem. Neurogeneza
se pojačava s fizičkom aktivnosti životinje, a smanjuje zbog stresa. Miševi
kojima je onemogućeno spavanje imaju manju neurogenezu. Također na
neurogenezu utječu različite farmakološke tvari.
Činjenica da u mozgu postoji endogena neurogeneza ukazuje da terapija
matičnim stanicama, koja bi se mogla primijeniti za bolesti mozga,
može koristiti mehanizme već inače prisutne u mozgu. Spoznaje o građi i
djelovanju mozga mijenjaju naše viđenje djelovanja ljudskog bića, tako da
razjašnjenje značenja neurogeneze u ljudskom mozgu postaje važno pitanje
za razumijevanje nas samih.
NEUROGENESIS (I.E. THE GENERATION OF NEW
NEURONS) AND ITS FUNCTION IN THE HUMAN BRAIN
It had previously been thought that the number of neurons in the nervous
system was determined prior to birth, and that after birth brain development
was purely the formation of neural connections. Thus, it took
experiments showing adult brain neurogenesis over a decade to become
widely accepted.
The role of neurogenesis in the adult brain has been studied on laboratory
animals, mainly mice and rats. Due to the fact that it takes place in
the hippocampus, neurogenesis is associated with memory and learning.
Physical exercise increases neurogenesis, while stress decreases it. The
mice prevented from sleeping have lower neurogenesis. Moreover, different
pharmacological substances influence the rate of neurogenesis.
The fact that neurogenesis exists also implies that its natural mechanisms
could be advantageous to future stem cell applications for human
brain diseases. New insights into brain organisation and function change
our views of human actions, thus making our understanding the impact of
adult neurogenesis in the human brain an important question for our understanding
us as humans.
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