From Lab to Life Yes, the Brain DOES Renew Itself

                 Source: depositphotos.com

The human brain is astonishing; it weighs 2-3 pounds, has 86 billion neurons (specialized brain cells), and above all, it has between 100 trillion and 1,000 trillion synapses (connections between the brain cells).  Artificial intelligence made a huge leap forward when scientists learned how to emulate the brain’s neural networks.

For years, it was believed that we are born with a full complement of neurons, and that the brain does not renew itself with newly-born neurons.  Now comes new evidence that in fact it DOES!  A study led by Jonas Frisen, at Stockholm’s famous Karolinska Institutet, published in Science on July 4, found cellular proliferation in the brain’s hippocampus.  **

 ** Dumitru, I., Paterlini, M., Zamboni, M., Ziegenhain, C., Giatrellis, S., Saghaleyni, R., … & Frisén, J. (2025). Identification of proliferating neural progenitors in the adult human hippocampus. Science, 389(6755), 58-63.

The hippocampus is a crucial part of our brains.  It is located deep within the brain’s temporal lobes and acts as the brain’s primary processing centers for learning, memory consolidation (converting short-term memories to long-term ones), and spatial navigation.

The research team analyzed hippocampus tissue samples from individuals, from newborns to 78 years,  and did single nuclear RNA (ribonucleic acid) gene sequencing with antibody staining for a specific biomarker for cellular proliferation (ie., material that appears when cells divide and renew).   They found that the so-called progenitor cells (cells that divide and renew) share significant genetic characteristics with those found in mice, pigs and primates.

The fact that the brain can indeed renew itself, and even grow new cells, may be related to dementia, including Alzheimer’s.  Could it be that dementia is related to the inability of the brain to renew itself?   The hippocampus is a very very important part of the brain and is crucial for our memory functioning.

What if scientists could figure out how to stimulate the brain to renew itself,  as an innovative, out-of-the-box approach to dealing with dementia?   One can dream.