Which neurodevelopmental processes continue in humans after birth?
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing mechanisms of human postnatal neurodevelopment without original data.
PubMed 39308952 · doi:10.3389/fnins.2024.1434508
What was done
Narrative review examining human postnatal neurodevelopment, focusing on the persistence, timing, and regional distribution of neuronal migration and circuit maturation from infancy through adolescence.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative data or specific numerical findings. Qualitatively, it reports that while postnatal neurogenesis is limited in humans, neuronal migration persists postnatally. Multiple migratory streams deliver interneurons to the frontal and temporal cortex during infancy, and shorter-range migration of excitatory neurons continues into adolescence near the amygdala paralaminar nucleus alongside protracted regional growth.
Why it matters
Protracted postnatal neuronal migration provides a biological mechanism for prolonged structural plasticity and circuit reconfiguration in the developing human brain.
Limits
The abstract describes a narrative overview without primary empirical data, quantitative measurements, or a systematic search methodology. The precise functional significance of the timing of these migratory processes remains unknown.