The observation that the human brain churns out new neurons throughout life is one of the biggest neuroscience discoveries of the past 20 years. The idea has captured immense popular and scientific interest—not least, because of hopes the brain’s regenerative capacity might be harnessed to boost cognition or to treat injury or disease.
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But new findings in humans, reported online in Nature on Wednesday [March 7], pump the brakes on this idea. In a direct challenge to earlier studies, the authors report adults produce no new cells in the hippocampus, a key hub for processing memories.
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[Neuroscientist Arturo] Alvarez-Buylla’s team examined 59 human brain samples ranging in age from fetal stages up to 77 years, obtained either postmortem or during brain surgery.…
They found clear evidence of new neurons forming in prenatal and neonatal samples, but this fell off sharply within the first year of life. By ages seven and 13, only a few isolated young neurons appeared. In adult samples the researchers found no new neurons.
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[O]thers argue it is too early to change course based on the new results. Jonas Frisén, senior author of the 2013 study, stands by his original findings. “Since it is a rare phenomenon they are looking for, they may just not have looked carefully enough,” he says.Read full, original post: Does the Adult Brain Really Grow New Neurons?
