Neurogenesis is the formation of new neurons. Neuroplasticity is the brain and nervous system’s broader ability to adapt by changing cells, connections and network activity. New-neuron formation can contribute to plasticity, but plasticity also occurs when existing neurons and synapses change. The terms therefore describe related but different biological ideas.
There is an important human-evidence qualification: researchers continue to debate how much neurogenesis persists in the adult human hippocampus and what functional role it has. Plasticity is an established general property of the nervous system; adult human neurogenesis is a narrower, still unsettled question.
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The difference in one view
| Question | Neurogenesis | Neuroplasticity |
|---|---|---|
| What changes? | The nervous system makes new neurons from precursor or stem-cell populations. | The nervous system adapts by changing existing cells, synapses, circuits and patterns of activity; adding neurons can be one component. |
| How broad is the term? | A specific cellular process. | An umbrella term for adaptation at several biological levels. |
| Typical research focus | Whether new neurons form, mature and integrate into a circuit. | How learning, experience, injury or other conditions alter neural function and connectivity. |
| Human evidence | The extent and functional importance of adult hippocampal neurogenesis remain debated. | The capacity of the brain and nervous system to adapt is a well-established concept. |
| What you can infer | Evidence of new-neuron formation does not by itself prove a treatment or consumer intervention works. | Evidence that the brain is plastic does not mean that new neurons are being produced. |
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders defines neural plasticity as the “ability of the brain and/or certain parts of the nervous system to adapt to new conditions, such as an injury.” You can read the glossary definition at NIDCD’s Neural Plasticity entry.
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Neurogenesis literally means the generation of neurons. In an adult-neurogenesis study, researchers are not simply looking for a brain that has changed. They are asking whether a precursor cell has produced a neuron and whether that cell has progressed through the stages needed to become part of functioning neural tissue.
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The cellular sequence
- Precursor-cell activity: a neural stem or progenitor cell divides or becomes committed to a neuronal pathway.
- Neuronal differentiation: the developing cell takes on neuronal characteristics rather than becoming another cell type.
- Maturation: the immature neuron develops the structure and electrical properties needed for signaling.
- Possible integration: the new neuron forms connections with existing cells and participates in a circuit.
Researchers may use different markers or tissue methods to identify these stages. A marker that indicates a dividing cell is not automatically proof that a mature, functioning neuron has been added to a circuit. That distinction matters when interpreting studies of human brain tissue.
Where adult research is concentrated
Adult-neurogenesis research in humans focuses mainly on the hippocampus, particularly the dentate gyrus. This does not justify saying that adult neurons are routinely generated throughout the brain. The NCBI Bookshelf overview of neurogenesis in the adult and aging brain describes the adult and aging brain evidence and the regions that have been investigated.
The hippocampus is associated with memory-related circuitry, which is why researchers have examined whether newly generated neurons could influence learning, memory, mood or the way circuits respond. Those are biological questions under investigation, not established promises about what a person will experience.
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Neuroplasticity, also called neural plasticity, is the broader capacity of the nervous system to adapt to changing demands. The adaptation may follow learning, repeated experience, development, injury or a change in sensory input. It can occur without adding any new neurons.
Plasticity can use existing neurons
Existing neurons can alter the strength of their connections. Some pathways become more effective with repeated use; others weaken when they are no longer needed. Networks can also redistribute activity, change their timing or recruit different routes to perform a task. These changes are plasticity even if every participating neuron was already present.
Plasticity operates at more than one scale
- Synaptic scale: the effectiveness of communication between connected neurons changes.
- Cellular and structural scale: neurons can alter branches, connection points or other features of their existing architecture.
- Network scale: groups of regions can reorganize how they share information or carry out a task.
- Functional scale: the nervous system can adjust performance when conditions change, including after an injury.
These categories are ways of describing adaptation, not a claim that every form of plasticity uses the same mechanism. A study showing altered connectivity, for example, may demonstrate plasticity without measuring neurogenesis at all.
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Is neurogenesis a type of neuroplasticity?
It can be, but the terms are not synonyms. If a newly formed neuron matures and becomes integrated into an existing circuit, that addition can change how the circuit behaves. In that sense, neurogenesis is one possible cellular contribution to plasticity.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchPlasticity does not require neurogenesis. A circuit can adapt by changing the strength or arrangement of connections among neurons that were already present. Consequently, the statement “the brain is plastic” does not establish that it is making new neurons. Conversely, evidence that new neurons form in a particular region does not, by itself, show that a measurable behavioral improvement or treatment effect will follow.
Does neurogenesis happen in adult humans?
The most accurate answer is that the extent and importance of adult human neurogenesis remain unresolved, especially in the hippocampus. Researchers have reported both evidence supporting persistence and findings that question how consistently it can be detected. The field has not produced a settled account of the rate, distribution or functional contribution of new-neuron formation in adult and older humans.
What the major reviews say
A 2018 review by Gerd Kempermann, Jonas Frisén and Fred H. Gage discusses opposing human findings and the methodological differences behind them. It is available through “Human adult neurogenesis: evidence and remaining questions” in Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
A 2023 review by Gabriele Zanirati, Padmashri A. Shetty and Ashok K. Shetty summarizes a substantial body of evidence supporting persistence during adulthood and aging, while also stating that robust neurogenesis in the adult and aged human hippocampus has yet to be confirmed. Its abstract is available at PubMed. The two points are compatible: evidence can support a possibility without establishing a definitive rate or universal process.
Why you may see a daily-neuron number online
The 2018 review discusses a carbon-14-based estimate from a study of 55 people that calculated approximately 700 new neurons added per day in each dentate gyrus. That figure is a published estimate reported in a contested area, not an uncontested fact about every adult. It should not be presented as a current personal “neurogenesis rate” that can be measured or improved with a consumer product.
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Why human studies disagree
Human neurogenesis is difficult to study directly. Much of the evidence comes from donated postmortem tissue rather than repeated measurements in living people. That creates technical and interpretive challenges.
Marker selection
Researchers use molecular markers to identify dividing cells, immature neurons or other stages. Different markers answer different questions, and some can be expressed by cells that are not ultimately mature neurons. A result therefore depends partly on which markers were selected and how they were interpreted.
Postmortem delay and tissue condition
The interval between death and tissue preservation can affect whether markers remain detectable. Differences in postmortem delay, tissue handling and preservation can make studies appear to disagree even when they are examining related biology.
Age, health and sampling
Human studies often involve limited samples that vary in age, medical history, medication exposure and cause of death. Those factors can influence the tissue that is available for analysis. A result from one sample cannot automatically be generalized to all adults or to every brain region.
These limitations explain why a review can describe evidence supporting persistence while still concluding that robust adult and aged human hippocampal neurogenesis is unconfirmed. They also explain why categorical claims that adult neurogenesis definitely stops, or proceeds at a known universal rate, go beyond the evidence.
What animal findings do—and do not—show
Animal studies are important because they allow researchers to trace precursor cells, observe maturation and test how circuit changes relate to behavior. They have helped generate hypotheses about possible links among new neurons, learning, memory, mood and circuit activity.
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However, a result in a mouse, rat or another model species is not direct proof of the same process, size of effect or behavioral outcome in humans. Species differ in brain structure, lifespan, cell markers and experimental conditions. An intervention that changes neurogenesis in an animal model therefore cannot be described as a proven way to increase new-neuron formation in people.
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Can you increase neurogenesis?
No consumer method has been established as a guaranteed way to increase neurogenesis in a person. The reviewed evidence does not support recommending a supplement, brain-training device or other product as a proven neurogenesis intervention. Claims based on an animal experiment, a laboratory marker or a general statement about plasticity should not be treated as clinical proof.
Separate three different claims
- Mechanism claim: a laboratory study reports that a biological pathway or activity changed.
- Human-biology claim: the same process is shown to occur reliably in living people.
- Outcome claim: changing that process improves memory, mood, recovery or another meaningful outcome.
Evidence for the first claim does not automatically establish the second or third. Even if a study finds signs consistent with new-neuron formation, it may not show that a person can deliberately raise the rate, that the change is safe, or that it improves a specific ability.
Plasticity-supporting activity is not proof of neurogenesis
Learning, rehabilitation and adaptation after injury are commonly discussed in terms of plasticity because they involve changes in existing neural systems. Observing improvement or altered connectivity in one of these settings does not demonstrate that new neurons caused it. If a program is advertised as “boosting neurogenesis,” look for direct human evidence of new-neuron formation rather than evidence that the activity is useful, engaging or associated with general brain changes.
How to evaluate a neurogenesis claim
- Check the species: was the result obtained in humans or only in an animal model?
- Check what was measured: did the study identify mature, integrated neurons, or only a proxy marker?
- Check the brain region: evidence about the hippocampal dentate gyrus should not be generalized to the whole brain.
- Check the design: was it a controlled human study, a tissue analysis, an observational association or a laboratory experiment?
- Check the outcome: did the researchers measure a meaningful change in memory, mood or function, or only a cellular signal?
- Check the wording: “may contribute” and “is consistent with” are not the same as “causes” or “guarantees.”
- Check the date and review context: an older estimate may remain influential while newer reviews still describe the central question as unresolved.
A credible explanation should state the uncertainty around adult human hippocampal neurogenesis rather than converting a debated estimate into a personal target.
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Common misconceptions
“Plasticity means the brain is growing new neurons.”
Not necessarily. Plasticity includes changes to existing synapses, cells and networks. New-neuron formation is only one possible contributor.
“If neurogenesis is possible in animals, a supplement must increase it in humans.”
That conclusion skips the human-evidence step. Animal results can motivate research, but they do not establish a safe, effective consumer intervention.
“A single daily-neuron estimate applies to everyone.”
The often-repeated estimate of about 700 neurons per day in each dentate gyrus comes from a particular carbon-14 analysis discussed by a 2018 review. It is not an agreed rate for every adult and should be labeled as an estimate.
“If adult human neurogenesis is debated, plasticity must also be uncertain.”
The uncertainty concerns a specific process and its extent in adult humans. It does not erase the broader, well-established concept that neural systems can adapt to new conditions.
Why the distinction matters
Keeping the terms separate improves both scientific accuracy and practical decision-making. If a rehabilitation study reports that a person regained function, plasticity offers a framework for discussing how existing circuits may have adapted; the result does not identify neurogenesis as the cause. If a tissue study reports cells that may be newly generated, neurogenesis describes the cellular process; the finding does not automatically demonstrate improved memory or a treatment effect.
The distinction also prevents overpromising. Researchers can investigate whether new hippocampal neurons persist, how they mature and whether they influence circuits, while clinicians and readers can evaluate interventions according to direct human outcomes rather than appealing language about “rewiring” or “growing brain cells.”
Quick Recap
What to remember
- Neurogenesis means making new neurons; neuroplasticity means adapting neural structure or function more broadly.
- Neurogenesis can contribute to plasticity when new neurons mature and join circuits, but plasticity often occurs without adding neurons.
- Adult human research centers on the hippocampal dentate gyrus, not routine neuron production throughout the brain.
- Reviews from 2018 and 2023 describe evidence both supporting persistence and leaving robust adult human hippocampal neurogenesis unconfirmed.
- Animal findings and cellular markers do not establish a guaranteed supplement, device or self-directed method for increasing neurogenesis in people.
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