In unstable times, the brain reduces cell production to help cope

(Princeton University) A Princeton University-led study found that adult rats with disruptions in their social hierarchy produced far fewer new neurons, and reacted to the surrounding upheaval by favoring the company of familiar rats. The research is among the first to show that adult brain-cell growth, or neurogenesis, shapes social behavior and adaptation, and that responses to instability may be more measured than scientists have come to expect.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://ift.tt/2c7t2NW