Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 May 24;74(4):634-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.03.030.

The age of olfactory bulb neurons in humans

Olaf Bergmann  1 , Jakob Liebl, Samuel Bernard, Kanar Alkass, Maggie S Y Yeung, Peter Steier, Walter Kutschera, Lars Johnson, Mikael Landén, Henrik Druid, Kirsty L Spalding, Jonas Frisén
Affiliations
Free article

The age of olfactory bulb neurons in humans

Olaf Bergmann et al. Neuron. .
Free article

Abstract

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 (14)C in genomic DNA. We report that (14)C 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.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

Publication types