Nature Medicine
4, 1313 - 1317 (1998)
doi:10.1038/3305
Neurogenesis in the adult human hippocampusPeter S. Eriksson1, 4, Ekaterina Perfilieva1, Thomas Björk-Eriksson2, Ann-Marie Alborn1, Claes Nordborg3, Daniel A. Peterson4
& Fred H. Gage41
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology,
Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Göteborg
, Sweden
2
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Department of
Oncology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Göteborg
, Sweden
3
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Department of
Pathology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41345 Göteborg
, Sweden
4
Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological
Studies, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla
, California 92037, USA
Correspondence should be addressed to Fred H. Gage
The genesis of new cells, including neurons, in the adult human brain
has not yet been demonstrated. This study was undertaken to investigate whether
neurogenesis occurs in the adult human brain, in regions previously identified
as neurogenic in adult rodents and monkeys. Human brain tissue was obtained
postmortem from patients who had been treated with the thymidine analog, bromodeoxyuridine
(BrdU), that labels DNA during the S phase. Using immunofluorescent labeling
for BrdU and for one of the neuronal markers, NeuN, calbindin or neuron specific
enolase (NSE), we demonstrate that new neurons, as defined by these markers,
are generated from dividing progenitor cells in the dentate gyrus of adult
humans. Our results further indicate that the human hippocampus retains its
ability to generate neurons throughout life.
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