The battle over new nerve cells in adult brains intensifies
New methods are needed to settle the debate
NO SIGNS In a study of human brains, young nerve cells (green) were visible in the memory-related hippocampus of a newborn (left), but were rare in a sample from a 13-year-old (center). None were seen in adult brains, including this sample from a 35-year-old (right).
ARTURO ALVAREZ-BUYLLA LAB
Just a generation ago, common wisdom held that once a person reaches adulthood, the brain stops producing new nerve cells.