Category: 8. Health

Though it’s now clear humans continue to grow new brain cells throughout their entire lives, debate persists over whether this applies to specific areas involved with memory.

Previous studies have made the case for and against the existence of neurogenesis in hippocampus beyond childhood. A new study now offers some of the clearest evidence yet that this crucial memory-forming region does form fresh neurons well into adulthood.

The study is the work of researchers from the Karolinska Institute and the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, and looks specifically at the dentate gyrus section of the hippocampus, the part of the brain that acts as a key control center for emotions, learning, and storing episodic memories.

Related: New Study Identifies Unexpected Part of Your Brain That’s Uniquely Human

“This gives us an important piece of the puzzle in understanding how the human brain works and changes during life,” says molecular biologist Jonas Frisén.

Confirmation that humans can form new neurons in the hippocampus through life (as several other animals can) would inform a whole host of other scientific investigations, from how adults learn new skills to what happens to the brain as it deteriorates in old age.

The team used RNA analysis to identify functions of brain cells in samples collected from people up to age 78, finding that some neurons were geared to function as neural progenitor cells (NPCs), which generate new nerve cells. The researchers also found similarities between human NPCs and those in mice, pigs, and monkeys.

Through a process of machine learning, the researchers could also group cells according to their development, from their initial ‘blank slate’ stem cell characterization to being an immature neuron in the process of dividing.

The results address questions raised by earlier studies (including one from some of the same researchers), which determined that new neurons were present in the human brain without being able to confirm exactly how they’d got there.

“We have now been able to identify these cells of origin, which confirms that there is an ongoing formation of neurons in the hippocampus of the adult brain,” says Frisén.

By studying such a wide range of ages, the researchers confirmed neurogenesis keeps happening in the hippocampus throughout our adult lives – albeit at a slower rate, generally speaking, as we get older.

It’s also important to note that the analysis revealed different rates of neurogenesis in different people. That might point to differences in brain plasticity that affect learning, personality, and disease risk, but that’s something that future studies will need to look at.

One hypothesis is that certain brain conditions might be affected by how quickly fresh new neurons can be produced – some of the subjects in this study had a history of psychiatric or neurological diseases – but again this wasn’t something that the researchers looked at directly, so follow-up studies will be needed.

“Our research may also have implications for the development of regenerative treatments that stimulate neurogenesis in neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders,” says Frisén.

The research has been published in Science.

Related News

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro have become widely popular for helping people lose weight and manage type 2 diabetes. While these medications have been praised for their life-changing effects, experts are now raising concerns about some rare but serious side effects.

In the UK, health regulators have received nearly 400 reports of serious pancreas issues, including a painful condition called acute pancreatitis, among people using GLP-1 drugs. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which collects and monitors drug safety through its “Yellow Card” system, is now urging caution and calling for further research.

What is acute pancreatitis?

Acute pancreatitis is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas, a gland behind the stomach that helps with digestion and blood sugar control. The condition can cause severe stomach pain, nausea, and fever, and often requires hospital treatment.

In most cases, patients recover with medical care, but it can turn serious or even fatal if complications arise. According to UK health officials, at least ten deaths have been linked to this condition among users of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro.

Drug pamphlets mention that pancreatitis is rare, affecting about 1 in 100 users, but the new findings have led to increased attention on the need for monitoring and early warning signs.

“Sometimes genes can influence the side effects an individual experiences when taking a medicine,” said a spokesperson from MHRA, suggesting that genetic screening in the future might help identify people at higher risk.

What do the drug makers say?

Pharmaceutical companies involved in making GLP-1 drugs say they are taking the issue seriously.

“Patient safety is our top priority,” said Lilly, the manufacturer of Mounjaro.

“We recommend that patients take these medications only under the supervision of a healthcare professional,” said Novo Nordisk, which produces Ozempic and Wegovy.

Both companies say they are closely monitoring safety data and working with regulators to ensure risks remain low.

Is this problem only in the UK?

No. Though US regulators like the FDA have not yet started a formal investigation, they do require warning labels on all GLP-1 drugs about the risk of acute pancreatitis. They are also keeping a close watch on reports of side effects.

In the US, a 36-year-old woman reportedly developed pancreatitis just five weeks after starting semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic). A 2024 analysis showed 6,751 global cases of acute pancreatitis linked to GLP-1 drugs between 2005 and 2023.

One study even found that patients using these medications were twice as likely to develop the condition if they had taken the drug in the previous 30 days.

While the benefits of GLP-1 drugs are still considered to outweigh the risks for many people, experts advise using them only under medical supervision. If you are on Ozempic or a similar medication and experience symptoms like severe stomach pain or nausea, it’s important to seek medical attention right away.

Doctors and patients alike are now being urged to watch for warning signs and make informed choices about these powerful drugs.

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro have become widely popular for helping people lose weight and manage type 2 diabetes. While these medications have been praised for their life-changing effects, experts are now raising concerns about some rare but serious side effects.

In the UK, health regulators have received nearly 400 reports of serious pancreas issues, including a painful condition called acute pancreatitis, among people using GLP-1 drugs. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which collects and monitors drug safety through its “Yellow Card” system, is now urging caution and calling for further research.

What is acute pancreatitis?

Acute pancreatitis is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas, a gland behind the stomach that helps with digestion and blood sugar control. The condition can cause severe stomach pain, nausea, and fever, and often requires hospital treatment.

In most cases, patients recover with medical care, but it can turn serious or even fatal if complications arise. According to UK health officials, at least ten deaths have been linked to this condition among users of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro.

Drug pamphlets mention that pancreatitis is rare, affecting about 1 in 100 users, but the new findings have led to increased attention on the need for monitoring and early warning signs.

“Sometimes genes can influence the side effects an individual experiences when taking a medicine,” said a spokesperson from MHRA, suggesting that genetic screening in the future might help identify people at higher risk.

What do the drug makers say?

Pharmaceutical companies involved in making GLP-1 drugs say they are taking the issue seriously.

“Patient safety is our top priority,” said Lilly, the manufacturer of Mounjaro.

“We recommend that patients take these medications only under the supervision of a healthcare professional,” said Novo Nordisk, which produces Ozempic and Wegovy.

Both companies say they are closely monitoring safety data and working with regulators to ensure risks remain low.

Is this problem only in the UK?

No. Though US regulators like the FDA have not yet started a formal investigation, they do require warning labels on all GLP-1 drugs about the risk of acute pancreatitis. They are also keeping a close watch on reports of side effects.

In the US, a 36-year-old woman reportedly developed pancreatitis just five weeks after starting semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic). A 2024 analysis showed 6,751 global cases of acute pancreatitis linked to GLP-1 drugs between 2005 and 2023.

One study even found that patients using these medications were twice as likely to develop the condition if they had taken the drug in the previous 30 days.

While the benefits of GLP-1 drugs are still considered to outweigh the risks for many people, experts advise using them only under medical supervision. If you are on Ozempic or a similar medication and experience symptoms like severe stomach pain or nausea, it’s important to seek medical attention right away.

Doctors and patients alike are now being urged to watch for warning signs and make informed choices about these powerful drugs.

The change follows internal research confirming that higher dietary vitamin D3 results in a proportional increase in fillet vitamin D content, without negatively affecting feed intake, conversion rates, or fish performance. 

In 2019, the European Union increased the maximum permitted vitamin D₃ level in salmonid aquafeed from 2,500 to 60,000 IU/kg, following EFSA’s assessment that this higher dose was safe for salmonids. However, due to limited data, the change did not apply to other fish species. Following this, BioMar explored the effects of increased supplementation on fish health and fillet composition, finding improvements in both welfare and consumer nutritional value.

“Vitamin D is crucial for fish health, supporting bone development, calcium regulation and immune function. Our research confirms that feeds with optimised vitamin D3 levels enriched fillet vitamin D content while maintaining an optimal fish performance,” said Pedro Gómez Requeni, senior R&D scientist at BioMar, in a press release.

Salmon farmers using BioMar feed will now benefit from diets that support robust fish growth while naturally producing fillets with higher vitamin D levels, aligning with consumer demand for nutrient-rich functional foods.

“Consumers are becoming more aware of the importance of vitamin D for their health,’’ added Simon Wadsworth, R&D Director at BioMar. ‘’By formulating feeds that naturally enrich fish fillets, we are helping farmers offer products with added value and supporting public health goals.”

According to BioMar, the enhanced vitamin D3 content in salmon fillets will contribute to increased dietary intake for consumers, helping to address widespread vitamin D insufficiency. The company sees this as a meaningful way to support fish health, deliver added value to farmers and respond to growing consumer interest in nutrient-rich foods.

pharmafile | July 7, 2025 | Feature | Research and Development |  NHS, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Pain, Reproductive health, Theramex, endometriosis, gynaecology 

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By Tina Backhouse, General Manager, Theramex 

When did we decide it was an acceptable condition of womanhood in the UK to live with chronic pain? ¹

Endometriosis is a condition which causes cells that line the uterus to grow elsewhere and often causes complications, such as fertility issues. Most notably, women with endometriosis can experience excruciating pains around their menstrual cycle.²

There are 1.5 million women in the UK affected by endometriosis³ and yet too often it seems that healthcare professionals see severe period pain as a natural part of a woman’s cycle, rather than as an indication that something might not be right.⁴

There are currently three-quarters of a million women’s health appointments waiting to happen in the UK.⁵ How many of these are linked to women suffering from chronic pain, still waiting for answers?

Waiting for the ‘right’ GP

While public awareness of these once-taboo gynaecological conditions is growing, there is still room for greater engagement and understanding within the healthcare community.

The average wait for an endometriosis diagnosis is eight years,⁶ during which, women too often face misunderstanding and dismissal from medical professionals,¹ leading to delays in treatment and multiple visits to A&E.⁷ Additionally, Black women are 50% less likely to be diagnosed with endometriosis than White women, and those who are diagnosed wait on average two and a half years longer than White women for their diagnosis.⁸

The workload of GPs is undeniably heavy, but it is crucial that time is taken, and training is completed to shift the perception of women’s pain. Misdiagnosing women’s pain as anxiety, or dismissing it as normal, must stop being a default response from so many GPs.¹

The advice and guidance scheme, which connects GPs with hospital doctors to bypass lengthy waiting lists, is making progress by directing women towards specialist support via services such as women’s health hubs – local centres which integrate services to support women with gynaecological concerns. From July – December 2024, the scheme diverted 660,000 treatments (of all kinds, not just women’s health) from hospitals into the community.⁹

However, the advice and guidance scheme is only as good as the specialist support services that it has access to, and women’s health targets for Integrated Care Boards have since been scrapped.This means that that funding for these hubs could be redirected, leaving access to specialist endometriosis care in an even worse predicament.

It’s worrying that the gynaecological care waiting list backlog hasn’t had the necessary reaction; with these funding targets removed, it could lead to women continuing to wait on lengthy lists for appointments and relying more on the non-specialist, secondary care advice from GPs, who have no required training in women’s health.¹

Paywalls to treatment

For many women experiencing debilitating endometriosis symptoms, the alternate ending to their stories is turning to private healthcare for diagnosis or treatment and, in some cases, even crowdfunding their treatments.¹⁰ Access to women’s health hubs is already a postcode lottery;¹¹ we cannot allow this to be exacerbated by waiting lists creating a paywall to treatment.

The importance of women living without pain must not be sidelined by an overstretched NHS. Gynaecological conditions are often forgotten at the bottom of the pile; when living with endometriosis, the pain that many women experience is important, and the NHS must be better at attending to these significant cases with the same urgency that they provide to other conditions.¹

Now is the time for doctors to recognise and address the severe pain many women endure during their periods.

Addressing these issues is not only vital for women’s health but also for the broader economic impact. The economic cost of absenteeism due to severe period pain and heavy periods alongside endometriosis costs the economy £11 billion due to absenteeism from work.¹² Additionally, Endometriosis UK estimates that one in six women with endometriosis leave the workplace due to their symptoms.¹³ Ensuring women receive timely and effective care for conditions like endometriosis is crucial, not only for their well-being, but also to prevent the personal and economic toll that results from inadequate support.

GPs, as the first point of care, must understand women’s pain better. They need access to information and training around recognising gynaecological conditions, such as endometriosis, that can heavily impact the quality of women’s lives.¹

For too long, women’s pain has been ignored

We shouldn’t leave it to chance whether a patient seeking support will be directed towards a GP with an understanding of endometriosis or not. It must become a government priority to ensure that GPs know what is and isn’t ‘normal’ for women to experience during their period, so that pain is no longer dismissed as part of the female experience.

References