The Drain Does Create New Cells as it Ages, New Study Reports

The human brain makes cells during old age, according to a new paper published in the journal Cell Stem Cell. Scientists have long believed that the brain stops making new cells as humans age. However, the new study — which comes from researchers at Columbia University — directly contrasts that common belief. In fact, the team found direct evidence that aging brains produce as many new cells as younger ones. 

This study is the first to track the brain’s cell production over the course of an average lifespan. To do that, the team studied 28 brains that came from the corpses of healthy people — meaning they did not show any evidence of major disorders or drug abuse — aged 14 to 79. 

The team analyzed the organs by slicing the hippocampi — the area of the brain important for learning and memory — into small pieces and then using a microscope in conjunction with specialized computer software to count how many newly formed cells they had.

While the older brains should have been completely unchanged according to common perception, many of them had as many new cells as the brain’s from younger subjects. However, they also made less new blood vessels and did not form connections between brain cells as quickly.

This study is one of a kind, but it is not the first to look into cell production in aging brains. Rather, it builds on past research. Scientists plan to continue to examine this connection, not just for medical research, but to see how such information could help diagnose and treat medical conditions that come with age.