Watch these recommended TED-Ed Lessons

What happens when you remove the hippocampus?
When Henry Molaison (now widely known as H.M.) cracked his skull in an accident, he began blacking out and having seizures. In an attempt to cure him, daredevil surgeon Dr. William Skoville removed H.M.'s hippocampus. Luckily, the seizures did go away — but so did his long-term memory! Sam Kean walks us through this astonishing medical case, detailing everything H.M. taught us about the brain and memory.

Could your brain repair itself?
Imagine the brain could reboot, updating its damaged cells with new, improved units. That may sound like science fiction — but it’s a potential reality scientists are investigating right now. Ralitsa Petrova details the science behind neurogenesis and explains how we might harness it to reverse diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

How spontaneous brain activity keeps you alive
The wheels in your brain are constantly turning, even when you're asleep or not paying attention. In fact, most of your brain’s activities are ones you’d never be aware of … unless they suddenly stopped. Nathan S. Jacobs takes us inside the always active, surprisingly spontaneous brain.

Additional references

About adult neurogenesis - BioEd Online
For at least a century before the discovery of neurogenesis in the adult human brain, a prevailing belief in the field of neuroscience was that the brain of virtually all mammals (not just humans) remained structurally constant throughout life and was incapable of producing new neurons. Read more to find out the studies that say otherwise.

Do adult brains make new neurons? A contentious new study says no - The Atlantic
It’s the latest chapter in a century-long debate about whether neurogenesis continues throughout humans’ lives. Find out more about counter-argument to the TED talk.