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NEURODEGENERATION

A fresh look at adult neurogenesis

Nature Medicine volume 25, pages 542–543 (2019)Cite this article

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Improved protocols for the visualization of immature neurons in the human brain provide evidence for generation of neurons in the adult hippocampus and uncover reduced neurogenesis in Alzheimer’s disease.

When a new neuron is generated from a progenitor cell, it goes through distinct maturational stages, which can be defined by protein markers. The most common methodology used to study adult neurogenesis in humans is immunohistochemical detection of markers for immature neurons, also called neuroblasts; it is assumed that some of these cells will eventually become mature neurons. Several studies have demonstrated the presence of immature neurons throughout life in the human hippocampus, although the quantitative estimates have slightly varied3,4,5. One study published last year failed to detect immature neurons beyond adolescence in the human hippocampus6, reviving an old debate about the extent of adult neurogenesis in humans3,7.

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Fig. 1: The number of immature neurons in the human hippocampus decreases in AD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

    Embla Steiner, Mathew Tata & Jonas Frisén

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  1. Embla Steiner
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  2. Mathew Tata
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  3. Jonas Frisén
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Correspondence to Jonas Frisén.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Steiner, E., Tata, M. & Frisén, J. A fresh look at adult neurogenesis. Nat Med 25, 542–543 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-019-0408-4

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