Neurogenesis before old age

The source of new neurons in the hippocampus has been discovered

Sergey Kolenov, Hi-tech+

Scientists from the USA have found a population of stem cells in mice, which gives rise to new neurons throughout life. It is this process that gives the mammalian brain plasticity and the ability to learn.

For a long time it was believed that the number of neurons in the brain of an adult and other mammals is a fixed value. However, in recent years, new data has accumulated, according to which, at least in some areas of the brain, the process of neurogenesis lasts a lifetime. Researchers from The University of Pennsylvania has discovered the source of these new neurons – a special population of stem cells.

The team, whose work is described in a press release from Penn University Researchers Discover the Source of New Neurons in Brain Hippocampus, tagged stem cells in the brain of mouse embryos and tracked their development throughout the life of rodents. It turned out that new neurons in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus originate from certain stem cells.

The dentate gyrus of the mouse hippocampus on the 7th day after birth. The nuclei of neurons are colored blue, the descendants of progenitor cells are green, and proliferating VM cells are red.

Scientists note that this population of stem cells produces neurons throughout life. Thanks to this process, conditions for learning and the formation of new memories are maintained in the mammalian brain.

Article by Berg et al. A Common Embryonic Origin of Stem Cells Drives Developmental and Adult Neurogenesis is published in the journal Cell – VM.

Now the team will have to find similar stem cells in the human brain and determine which factors regulate the activity of their reproduction.

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