Results of a recent study suggest that the marked effect of ethanol on the survival of newly formed neurons in the adult HP could result in impairment of hippocampal-dependent cognitive functions, or, alternatively, the changes in cognition observed in alcoholism could lead to decreased neuronal survival (Herrera et al 2003). Neurogenesis is primarily a developmental process that involves the proliferation, migration, and differentiation into neurons of primordial stem cells of the central nervous system (Gage 2000). Neurogenesis declines until it ceases in the young adult mammalian brain with two exceptions: the olfactory bulb and the hippocampus produce new neurons throughout adult life. However, multiple factors seem to regulate adult neurogenesis including hormones, neurotransmitters, and trophic factors (Gage 2000).
