Neuroscientists from the Michigan State University have shown that the brain produces new cells in mammals during puberty in the amygdala and interconnected regions, where it was believed no additional cells were produced, reports Medical Xpress.
Several studies have been conducted which show the birth of new cells in adults, which is limited to two brain parts linked to memory and smell. But the neuroscience program at the Michigan State University shows the addition of new cells in the amygdala and interconnected regions, which help in understanding facial expressions and body language in humans, the report said.
"These regions are important for social behaviors, particularly mating behavior," said lead author Maggie Mohr, a doctoral student in neuroscience. "So, we thought maybe cells that are added to those parts of the brain during puberty could be important for adult reproductive function."
Mohr and Cheryl Sisk, MSU professor of psychology, conducted an experiment with male hamsters by injecting them with a chemical marker to trace the birth of any new cells during puberty. On maturity, hamsters were mated with females and their brains were examined for production of any new cell.
Researchers found new cells produced by the brain that were added to the amygdala and interconnected regions and these cells contained a protein, which became a part of neural system that helps in social and sexual behavior, according to the report.
Mohr was not sure if the cells born during the puberty lasted into adulthood until this new research showed that these cells "can mature to become part of the brain circuitry that underlies adult behavior," he said.
They also found that the more new cells produced survived into adulthood in the male hamsters that were raised in an improved environment with a large cage, spinning wheel and other useful accessories than the hamsters raised in a plain cages. Since the research is limited to hamsters and human functionalities are far more enhanced and complex, researchers suggest further research to be done in order to relate these findings based on human behavior.
"We don't know if cells are added to the human amygdala during puberty," Sisk said, "but we know the amygdala plays a similar role in people as in hamsters. We hope to learn whether similar mechanisms are at play as people's brains undergo the metamorphosis that occurs during puberty."
The findings are published in the current edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
