The adult brain is capable of undergoing neuronal plasticity at different levels ranging from molecular changes to circuit modifications. Until the early 90s, the general rule was that the mammals’ central nervous system lacked the ability to generate new neurons upon birth. It is now clear that the hippocampus, the structure in the brain involved in learning and memory, produces dentate granule cells throughout the lifespan. Adult neurogenesis can be shaped by physical exercise, experience, aging and disease. A talk by Dr Mariela Trinchero.