Human brain produces new cells until at least age 90, Spanish researchers find
Monday, April 1, 2019 @ 5:37 PM
HUMANS continue to produce new brain cells until their ninth decade of life, Spanish scientists have discovered.
According to the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Centre, part of Madrid Autonomous University and the High Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), adult brains not affected with degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s carry on creating new neurons until around the age of 90, replacing those which die off.
This process, known as Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis, is impeded by the present of Alzheimer’s.
Neuron regeneration slows with age – and earlier studies have revealed that age-related memory loss begins to set in at around 27 years old – but does not stop altogether, which explains why it is still possible for the middle-aged and even elderly to learn new mental and physical skills.
Published in the magazine Nature Medicine, the Severo Ochoa Centre’s report says: “Despite a slight reduction in the number of neurons generated during ageing, a high number of these neurons remain present in individuals who do not suffer from any neurological illness until at least the age of 87.”
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com