Human Neurogenesis: Unraveling Controversies and Charting New Frontiers

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis represents one of the most transformative yet contested concepts in neuroscience. While robustly demonstrated in rodents and other mammals, including non-human primates, the existence, extent, and functional relevance of neurogenesis in the adult human brain remain unresolved. Confirming adult hippocampal neurogenesis in humans would profoundly reshape our understanding of brain plasticity, resilience, learning, and memory, and inform new therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. However, conflicting evidence from isotope-labeling, immunohistochemistry, transcriptomics, and cell culture studies—paired with challenges in postmortem tissue analysis and methodological reproducibility—have fueled intense debate within the field. This Banbury meeting will convene leading experts from multiple disciplines to critically assess the current body of evidence, including leaders who have recently generated new unpublished data to support or defer the presence of human neurogenesis, evaluate the potential of emerging methodologies such as spatial transcriptomics and single-cell analysis, and chart a collaborative path forward. Specific aims include: (1) critically evaluating existing data and technical limitations, (2) identifying promising technologies for resolving key questions, (3) fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, and (4) defining strategic priorities and standards for future research. The meeting will culminate in a consensus report that outlines current knowledge, identifies gaps, and provides actionable recommendations to guide the field. By bridging experimental, technical, and conceptual divides, this effort aims to resolve one of neuroscience’s most pivotal questions and advance our understanding of human brain function and plasticity. Project Number: 1R13AG099711-01 | Fiscal Year: 2026 | NIH Institute/Center: National Institute on Aging (NIA) | Principal Investigator: Orly Lazarov | Institution: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO, Chicago, IL | Award Amount: $49,620 | Activity Code: R13 | Study Section: Special Emphasis Panel[ZRG1 SCIL-S (80)] View on NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11321363