(1) They have observed the growth of neurons in the dentate gyrus, a portion of the hippocampus (which controls learning and short term memory), in mice that were placed in a stimulating environment.(2) The large dentate nuclei are deeply fissured and subdivided into toothlike agglomerations of gray matter, the longest ones being near the middle of each nucleus.(3) Of all 25 brain regions examined, the one that showed the strongest evidence of playing a role directly in the control of the locomotor activity itself was the dentate gyrus, which is a subregion of the hippocampus.(4) The Latin word means u2018little oak u2018because of its dentate leaves which recall those of the oak.u2019(5) Note the characteristic, toothlike appearance of the inferior surface of the dentate gyrus.
