From embryo to adult: persistent neurogenesis and apoptotic cell death shape the lobster deutocerebrum

Neuronal plasticity and synaptic remodeling play important roles during the development of the invertebrate nervous sys-tem. In addition, structural neuroplasticity as a result of long-term environmental changes, behavioral modifications, age, and experience have been demonstrated in the brains of sex-ually mature insects. In adult vertebrates, persistent neurogen-esis is found in the granule cell layer of the mammalian hip-pocampus and the subventricular zone, as well as in the telencephalon of songbirds, indicating that persistent neuro-genesis, which is presumably related to plasticity and learning, may be an integral part of the normal biology of the mature brain. In decapod crustaceans, persistent neurogenesis among olfactory projection neurons is a common principle that shapes the adult brain, indicating a remarkable degree of life-long structural plasticity. The present study closes a gap in ou