A groundbreaking study by researchers at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet has found that the human brain continues to form new neurons well into late adulthood. Analyzing brain tissue from 22 individuals aged between birth and 78, scientists focused on the hippocampus - the region responsible for memory and learning. They identified neural progenitor cells, which are early-stage cells that develop into neurons, suggesting that adult neurogenesis continues longer than previously believed.

The study used advanced techniques like flow cytometry, single-nucleus RNA sequencing, and machine learning to identify these cells in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. While these human neural progenitor cells shared similarities with those in mice, pigs, and monkeys, they showed distinct patterns of gene activity.

Interestingly, researchers noted wide individual variation - some adults had many progenitor cells while others had very few. This discovery challenges long-standing assumptions that neurogenesis stops after childhood and could pave the way for treatments targeting memory loss, depression, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.