Neurogenesis & Neuroplasticity
Today we have two new N- words and we finally get to the bottom of what autism is and what it is not. There is nothing revolutionary here, it can all be found in the research and indeed most of it can be found in just one book , but then who would read my blog? We will start with the bad news and finish with the good news. Neurogenesis Neurogenesis sounds like a good thing; it is the birth of neurons in the brain. This is substantially completed in the pre-natal period, but it can continue in certain parts of the brain throughout life. After a head injury, or trauma, neurogenesis can take place. In the case of autism the potential benefit exists, but seems likely to be minimal. Many studies have already established the pattern of deformities in the autistic brain. One researcher in particular, Eric Courchesne, seems to have chosen to make this his life’s work. He has carried out repeated studies over many years focused on examination of b ra...