Functional integration of adult-born neurons

Over the past decade, it has become clear that neural stem cells in the adult mammalian brain continuously generate new neurons, predominantly in the hippocampus and olfactory bulb [1]. However, the central issue of whether these new neurons participate in functional synaptic circuitry has yet to be resolved. Here, we use virus-based transsynaptic neuronal tracing and c-Fos mapping of odor-induced neuronal activity to demonstrate that neurons generated in the adult functionally integrate into the synaptic circuitry of the brain.