Loss of neurones ? ….. Nothing to worry about !

According to the authors we consulted, the number of nerve cells which each individual has for life varies between 4 and 150 billion neurones. There is now a consensus setting the number at 30 to 40 billion. To tell the truth, this number is not very important. It only becomes important when we are told that we lose several thousand or even several hundred thousand every day. People in their sixties start to worry. Will I have enough left ? All these problems I have remembering names or figures, is this the first sign of a significant loss of cells ? Actually we do lose some neurones during our lives, but it would take someone very clever to say how many. On the other hand, it now seems certain that this loss is in no way responsible for any memory problems we might have.

Recently published research contradicts the old adage that we lose nerve cells throughout or lives. We probably lose some, but the cell mass is so vast that in the absence of pathological causes, this loss does not really affect our mental capacity. Evidence has also been found for mysterious “stem cells”, which would seem to indicate that new neurones are produced throughout life, and that “neurogenesis” is a reality. We even know the place where this neurogenesis is most frequent. We could imagine that in the distant future we might be able to control this neurone creation and direct it to a particular area in the brain. Experiments with stem cells grafted in a damaged organ have recently been carried out, apparently with some success.

The memory only wears out if it is not used.