Plasticity is the ability of the newborn neurons to make connections with existing neurons in the brain and integrate into their surrounding cellular environment. Though other studies have shown that new neurons are born under other conditions, this is the first study to show that new brain cells are born following stroke. It is not known whether there are new neurons born in the brains of humans following stroke. We certainly think there would be. If you lose this region of the brain, you re unable to remember new sights, sounds and other experiences.
Stem cells are important in the formative stages of brain development.
Researchers say stem cells help form neurons, which mature and make the complex circuits that enable the brain to perform its many functions. Stem cells are present in the embryonic brain and remain in the brain throughout life, says Sharp. For stroke survivors, recovering speech or motor skills typically requires many years of speech and physical therapy. Though memory function often recovers to at least some extent, the mechanism by which this recovery occurs is not known. The birth of new neurons could very well be the mechanism which leads to memory recovery after ischemia.