Neurogenesis is the process of making new neurons. In Intro to Brain and Behavior, it usually refers to early brain development and adult hippocampal neurogenesis, which connect to learning, memory, and plasticity.
Neurogenesis is the formation of new neurons in the nervous system, and in Intro to Brain and Behavior it comes up as part of how the brain develops, changes, and adapts. Most neurons are born before birth, during embryonic development, when stem cells divide and specialized precursor cells become immature neurons. Those neurons then migrate, differentiate, and connect into circuits that support sensation, movement, memory, and emotion.
The big idea is that the brain is not just wired once and left alone. Neurogenesis is one of the reasons the developing brain can build enormous complexity from a small set of starting cells. New neurons do not become useful right away, though. They have to survive, grow axons and dendrites, and integrate into the right network, which is why neurogenesis is only the first step in building a working brain.
In adults, neurogenesis is much more limited, but it does not disappear completely. The hippocampus is the best-known site, and that matters because the hippocampus is tied to learning, memory formation, and spatial navigation. When new neurons are added there, they may support flexible memory processing and the brain's ability to adapt to new experiences. That is why neurogenesis is often discussed alongside plasticity instead of as a separate, isolated process.
A useful way to think about it is as a supply line for brain change. Neuroplasticity describes the brain changing its connections and activity patterns, while neurogenesis adds brand-new neurons to the system. They are related but not the same. You can have plasticity without making new neurons, but when neurogenesis is active, it gives the brain more raw material for change.
Environmental conditions can change how much neurogenesis happens. Enriched housing conditions, physical activity, and lower stress tend to support it, while chronic stress can suppress it. In class, this often shows up as a cause and effect question, where you connect life experience to brain structure and then to behavior.
Neurogenesis matters because it ties brain development to behavior in a very concrete way. If you are asked why the infant brain changes so quickly, neurogenesis is part of the answer: the brain is still building its basic wiring. That connects directly to neural migration and differentiation, since newly made neurons still need to travel to the right place and become the right type of cell.
It also shows up in learning and memory. The hippocampus is a major memory structure, so adult neurogenesis there gives you a way to explain why experience can shape memory circuits over time. When a professor asks about plasticity, neurogenesis is one of the clearest examples of the brain changing at the cellular level instead of just by strengthening old connections.
This term also helps with questions about mental health and recovery. Researchers study whether supporting neurogenesis could improve symptoms linked to depression, anxiety, or injury recovery. Even if a class does not go into treatment details, the term gives you a bridge between brain biology and real behavior changes.
Keep studying Intro to Brain and Behavior Unit 3
Visual cheatsheet
view galleryPlasticity
Plasticity is the brain's ability to change with experience, and neurogenesis is one way that change can happen. Plasticity usually includes synaptic strengthening, pruning, and circuit remodeling, while neurogenesis adds new neurons into the mix. If a question asks how the brain adapts over time, these two terms often belong in the same answer but do different jobs.
Neurons
Neurogenesis is specifically about making neurons, not glia or other cells. That means you need to know neuron structure and function to understand why a newly generated cell matters. A neuron only becomes useful after it develops dendrites, an axon, and synaptic connections that let it join a circuit.
Glia
Glia are not the cells being made in neurogenesis, but they help shape the environment where new neurons survive and mature. In Intro to Brain and Behavior, glia often show up as support cells that regulate nutrients, insulation, and signaling conditions. That support matters because new neurons are fragile until they are fully integrated into a network.
Episodic Memory
The hippocampus is strongly linked to episodic memory, so adult neurogenesis is often discussed in memory tasks and case examples. If a brain region is involved in forming new personal memories, changes in hippocampal cell growth can affect how well information is encoded and organized. This gives you a useful link between biology and memory performance.
A quiz item might ask you to identify where neurogenesis happens, explain why the hippocampus matters, or connect stress and exercise to brain change. In a short answer or essay, you may need to trace the sequence from stem cell division to immature neuron to circuit integration. If the question uses a scenario, look for clues about development, memory, or recovery from injury and explain neurogenesis as the cellular mechanism behind the behavior. You might also be asked to compare it with plasticity, so be ready to say that plasticity is the broader ability to change, while neurogenesis is the creation of new neurons. Diagram labels and case prompts often reward that distinction.
These are related, but not identical. Plasticity is the broader capacity of the brain to change its structure or function based on experience. Neurogenesis is one specific kind of change, the production of new neurons. A brain can be plastic without making many new neurons, but neurogenesis can contribute to plasticity, especially in the hippocampus.
Neurogenesis is the process of creating new neurons, and most of it happens before birth.
In adults, neurogenesis is limited but still discussed in the hippocampus, where it connects to learning and memory.
Neurogenesis is one piece of brain plasticity, but it is not the same thing as synaptic strengthening or pruning.
Exercise, enriched environments, and lower stress can support neurogenesis, while chronic stress can reduce it.
The term is useful when you need to explain how brain structure changes with development, experience, or recovery.
Neurogenesis is the making of new neurons in the brain. In this course, it is usually discussed as part of development, and sometimes as a limited process in the adult hippocampus. It helps explain how the brain builds circuits and how some regions stay adaptable over time.
Adult neurogenesis is most often linked to the hippocampus, especially areas involved in learning and memory. It is much more limited than neurogenesis during embryonic development, so it is not something that happens evenly across the whole brain. That is why the term usually comes up with memory and plasticity topics.
No. Plasticity is the brain's broader ability to change with experience, and that can include stronger synapses, weaker synapses, pruning, and structural remodeling. Neurogenesis is one specific part of that story, where new neurons are actually generated. If you mix them up on a quiz, remember that plasticity is the category and neurogenesis is one mechanism.
Exercise and enriched environments tend to support neurogenesis, especially in hippocampal regions tied to memory. Chronic stress tends to reduce it. A common class question is to connect those conditions to behavior, like why a healthy environment may support learning and mood while prolonged stress can make the brain less flexible.