Image from scientopia.org

A University of Queensland study has identified precisely when new neurons become important for learning.

Lead researcher Dr Jana Vukovic from UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) said the study highlighted the importance of new neuron development.

“New neurons are continually produced in the brain, passing through a number of developmental stages before becoming fully mature,” Dr Vukovic said.

“Using a genetic technique to delete immature neurons in animal models, we found they had great difficulty learning a new spatial task.

“There are ways to encourage the production of new neurons – including physical exercise – to improve learning.

“The new neurons appear particularly important for the brain to detect subtle but critical differences in the environment that can impact on the individual.”

The study, performed in QBI Director Professor Perry Bartlett’s laboratory, also demonstrates that immature neurons, born in a region of the brain known as the hippocampus, are required for learning but not for the retrieval of past memories.

“On the other hand, if the animals needed to remember a task they had already mastered in the past, before these immature neurons were deleted, their ability to perform the task was the same – so, they’ve remembered the task they learned earlier,” Dr Vukovic said. (The University of Queensland)

References
  1. Official qbi.uq.edu.au — Queensland Brain Institute
  2. Official uq.edu.au/news/index.html?article=26062 — (The University of Queensland)

External sources linked in this article, in order of first mention. Spotted an error or a broken link? Tell us.

Cite this pagePublished Apr 11, 2013 · Updated Oct 9, 2026
APA 7

Agron, E. (2013, April 11). New learning and memory neurons uncovered. WorldNgayon. https://worldngayon.com/new-learning-and-memory-neurons-uncovered/

MLA 9

Agron, Edmon. “New learning and memory neurons uncovered.” WorldNgayon, 11 Apr. 2013, worldngayon.com/new-learning-and-memory-neurons-uncovered/.

Chicago

Agron, Edmon. “New learning and memory neurons uncovered.” WorldNgayon, April 11, 2013. https://worldngayon.com/new-learning-and-memory-neurons-uncovered/.

Harvard

Agron, E. (2013) ‘New learning and memory neurons uncovered’, WorldNgayon, 11 April. Available at: https://worldngayon.com/new-learning-and-memory-neurons-uncovered/.

IEEE

E. Agron, “New learning and memory neurons uncovered,” WorldNgayon, Apr. 11, 2013. [Online]. Available: https://worldngayon.com/new-learning-and-memory-neurons-uncovered/

BibTeX
@online{agron2013newlearning,
  author       = {Agron, Edmon},
  title        = {{New learning and memory neurons uncovered}},
  year         = {2013},
  date         = {2013-04-11},
  organization = {WorldNgayon},
  url          = {https://worldngayon.com/new-learning-and-memory-neurons-uncovered/},
  urldate      = {}
}
RIS
TY  - ELEC
AU  - Agron, Edmon
TI  - New learning and memory neurons uncovered
T2  - WorldNgayon
PY  - 2013
DA  - 2013/04/11/
UR  - https://worldngayon.com/new-learning-and-memory-neurons-uncovered/
Y2  - 
ER  -

Cite the version you read; the page may be updated. Zotero and Mendeley can also import this page directly.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR