Through a rare glimpse inside the human brain, a team of
American and Swedish scientists reported yesterday that they had
discovered the generation of brain cells in adult humans for the
first time, opening an important area of investigation into
possible new treatments for such debilitating neurological
disorders as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and
stroke. The finding is one of a series of recent discoveries
that have overturned years of conventional wisdom about the
human brain: that, after birth, once brain cells died off, they
could never be replaced. In one such finding last spring,
scientists reported substantial new cell growth in the brains of
developing children under age 6. Now, with the discovery in
adults that cells are continually dividing and producing mature
new cells, the potential arises that this regeneration may be
used to mend a brain damaged by disease, or treat a disease
caused by a damaged brain. ''The door has been opened,'' said
Dr. Fred Gage, the team leader, at the Salk