Can Inducing Neurogenesis Be A Future Treatment For Autism

Could inducing neurogenesis be a future treatment for autism, psychopathy and other disorders linked to functional deficiencies of the amygdala? It has been demonstrated by research that some neurogenesis occurs in the hippocampus and amygdala, which work together to impact memories, emotions and learning, and they are considered responsible for social intelligence. Clinical psychopaths have been shown to have reduced activity in the amygdala when given certain stimuli. Some research suggests that persons with autism also experience deficient functionality in the amygdala. This paper examines the possibility of neurogenesis developing as a therapy for neural disorders. Two structures in the brain work independently and with each other to impact memory and emotions: the amygdala and the hippocampus. The amygdala is linked to fear-conditioning, while the hippocampus is linked to episodic memories, which are those memories that a person can recall whenever wanted [1]. An experiment was performed to demonstrate the independence of the two structures from each other which involved patients with lesions in the amygdala and patients with lesions in the hippocampus. Researchers designed a fear-condition wherein a blue patch applied to the wrist initiated a shock. They found that patients with lesions in the amygdala had no physiological response to the conditioned stimulus (the blue patch) [2], whereas patients with lesions in the hippocampus demonstrated appropriate