The research revealed that in a fully formed brain there are stem cells capable of manufacturing new neural connections throughout life. (Stem cells are very young cells that are not fully developed.)
Stem cells in the brain have a unique ability to keep making copies of themselves and give rise to new ones, which are responsible for brain growth during embryonic development and for generating all the cells of the central nervous system, including neurons. This biological phenomenon is important for specific functions such as learning and memory processes.
Science had previously established that neurons did not regenerate in an adult brain. However, a new study led by a team of biologists from the universities of Geneva and Lausanne, both in Switzerland, published in the scientific journal Science Advances, discovered that in certain areas of the adult brain there are stem cells that can be reactivated to form new neural connections.
This process of creating new neurons is called neurogenesis and it undergoes changes throughout the life of a human being. With the discovery, the study authors were able to increase the number of neurons in the brain of adult and elderly mice, discoveries that open up the possibilities of finding effective treatments against neurodegenerative diseases.
It is important to know that neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, prevent neuronal regeneration.
According to Jean-Claude Martinou, one of the authors of the study, he concluded by saying: “These results shed new light on the role of cellular metabolism in the regulation of neurogenesis. In the long term, these results could lead to potential treatments for conditions such as depression or neurodegenerative diseases.”
This advance is important because it opens the door to the creation of drugs that stop the advance or prevent age-related degenerative diseases.
https://eldiario.com/2023/03/06/como-generar-nuevas-neuronas-en-cerebro-adulto/
