Amazing stuff!
"A study ... presents compelling new evidence that neurons in the brain's memory center, the hippocampus, continue to form well into late adulthood. ..."
"... To localise these cells, the researchers used two techniques that show where in the tissue different genes are active: RNAscope and Xenium. These methods confirmed that the newly formed cells were located in a specific area of the hippocampus called the dentate gyrus. This area is important for memory formation, learning and cognitive flexibility. ...
... The results show that the progenitors of adult neurons are similar to those of mice, pigs and monkeys, but that there are some differences in which genes are active. There were also large variations between individuals – some adult humans had many neural progenitor cells, others hardly any at all. ..."
From the perspective's abstract:
"Challenging the long-held dogma that the generation of neurons ends in mammals early after birth, pioneering papers in the 1960s suggested that new neurons are born in the rodent brain throughout life.
These adult-born neurons were detected in several regions, including the hippocampus, which is important for learning, memory, and mood control and is impaired in diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
From this emerged a decades-long controversy, with numerous studies providing evidence for—or against—the lifelong activity of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) as a source of newborn neurons in the human hippocampus.
On page 58 of this issue, Dumitru et al. (1) report the use of single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptomics to identify cells with transcriptional signatures of NPCs and newborn neurons in the human hippocampus from childhood to old age. Together with previous work (2–4), the findings indicate that neurogenesis persists throughout life in the human hippocampus."
From the editor's summary and abstract:
"Editor’s summary
Whether adult neurogenesis occurs in the human hippocampus is one of the most debated issues in neuroscience. Dumitru et al. used a single-cell transcriptomic approach to address this issue in human samples of various ages from birth through adulthood (see the Perspective by Quiniou and Jessberger). Machine learning algorithms helped the authors to identify proliferating neural progenitor cells in the adolescent and adult human hippocampus that resembled progenitor cells found in mouse and pig. The results support the idea that adult neurogenesis occurs in the human hippocampus and add valuable insights of scientific and medical interest. ...
Abstract
Continuous adult hippocampal neurogenesis is involved in memory formation and mood regulation but is challenging to study in humans. Difficulties finding proliferating progenitor cells called into question whether and how new neurons may be generated.
We analyzed the human hippocampus from birth through adulthood by single-nucleus RNA sequencing. We identified all neural progenitor cell stages in early childhood.
In adults, using antibodies against the proliferation marker Ki67 and machine learning algorithms, we found proliferating neural progenitor cells. Furthermore, transcriptomic data showed that neural progenitors were localized within the dentate gyrus. The results contribute to understanding neurogenesis in adult humans."
New research confirms that neurons form in the adult brain (original news release) "A study in the journal Science presents compelling new evidence that neurons in the brain’s memory centre, the hippocampus, continue to form well into late adulthood. The research from Karolinska Institutet provides answers to a fundamental and long-debated question about the human brain’s adaptability."
Sequenced evidence (no public access) "Transcriptome analyses identify neural progenitor cells in the adult human hippocampus"
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