Elizabeth Gould

Who is Elizabeth Gould?

Elizabeth Gould is an American neuroscientist and professor of psychology at Princeton University's Department of Psychology. She was an early investigator of adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus.

Gould discovered evidence of adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus and olfactory bulb of rats, marmosets and macaque monkeys. In her early studies, she laid the groundwork for understanding the relationship between stress and adult neurogenesis.

Her work has shown some evidence of neurogenesis in the adult neocortex. A study by Dr. Gould, et al., was published in the October 15, 1999 issue of Science, investigating neurogenesis in the adult primate neocortex. Gould and the researchers reported new neurons in adult marmoset monkeys are added to three neocortical association areas important in cognitive function: the prefrontal, inferior temporal and posterior parietal cortex. The new neurons appeared to originate in the subventricular zone, where stem cells giving rise to other cell types are located. They then migrate through the white matter to the neocortex, extending axons. Continual addition of neurons in adulthood apparently contributes to association neocortex functions.