The Age of Olfactory Bulb Neurons in Humans

Autor(en)

Olaf Bergmann, Jakob Liebl, Samuel Bernard, Kanar Alkass, Maggie S. Y. Yeung, Peter Steier, Walter Kutschera, Lars Johnson, Mikael Landén, Henrik Druid, Kirsty Spalding, Jonas Frisén

Abstrakt

Continuous turnover of neurons in the olfactory bulb is implicated in several key aspects of olfaction. There is a dramatic decline postnatally in the number of migratory neuroblasts en route to the olfactory bulb in humans, and it has been unclear to what extent the small number of neuroblasts at later stages contributes new neurons to the olfactory bulb. We have assessed the age of olfactory bulb neurons in humans by measuring the levels of nuclear bomb test-derived C-14 in genomic DNA. We report that C-14 concentrations correspond to the atmospheric levels at the time of birth of the individuals, establishing that there is very limited, if any, postnatal neurogenesis in the human olfactory bulb. This identifies a fundamental difference in the plasticity of the human brain compared to other mammals.

Organisation(en)

Isotopenphysik

Externe Organisation(en)

Karolinska Institute, Université de Lyon

Journal

Neuron

Band

74

Seiten

634-639

Anzahl der Seiten

6

ISSN

0896-6273

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2012.03.030

Publikationsdatum

2012

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ÖFOS 2012

302052 Neurologie, 103005 Atomphysik

Link zum Portal

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/43a8c3bb-5f32-4636-9d51-31ba6aeb752c