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usonian

(19,166 posts)
5. Several articles report that that "Even old brains can make new neurons, study suggests"
Sat Jul 19, 2025, 12:07 PM
Saturday

One. here (popsci, sorry)
https://www.popsci.com/health/adult-brains-make-neurons-study/

Until the late 20th century, the prevailing view in neuroscience was that, past childhood, humans stop making neurons, brain-wide. What we have in adolescence, is what we get, and all we can do is lose cells or reorganize them. However, the latest research adds to a mounting body of evidence finding that the timeline of neuron generation isn’t so clear-cut.

In at least two parts of the brain, a subset of neuroscientists believe that neurons may continue to form throughout life–the hippocampus and the ventral striatum. In the hippocampus, a critical brain region for learning and memory, new cells emerge in some people into late adulthood, according to a study published July 3 in the journal Science. The findings tip the scales in a still-active debate over how our brains continue to develop throughout life. A better understanding of adult neurogenesis (the formation of new neurons), and a firm answer to if and where it occurs, could help improve treatments for neurological diseases as well as normal aging.


My theory is that playing an instrument engages cognitive function (reading), motor function (playing) and senses (hearing). (entirely unscientific terminology, what the heck?) Working together --- that's a big deal.

I know it when I do it. It's a challenge (good for everyone) and a blast.

In fact, I developed near-perfect pitch over time, something that is said to belong only to young people. (It's on and off, but it often works).

TRY IT, YOU'LL LIKE IT. (sorta)
Many performers and conductors lived very long lives, remaining "sharp".

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