Identification of proliferating neural progenitors in the human hippocampus

Continuous adult hippocampal neurogenesis is involved in memory formation and mood regulation but is challenging to study in humans. Difficulties finding proliferating progenitor cells questioned if and how new neurons may be generated. Here we analyzed the human hippocampus from birth through adulthood by single nucleus RNA-sequencing. We identified all neural progenitor cell stages in early childhood. In adults, using antibodies against the proliferation marker Ki67 and machine learning algorithms, we found proliferating neural progenitor cells. Furthermore, transcriptomic data showed that neural progenitors were localized within the dentate gyrus. The results contribute to understanding neurogenesis in adult humans.