U.S. scientists have found that while new brain cell growth in marmoset monkeys slows with aging, structural reorganization continues.

   Princeton University researchers examined neural cell growth in male and female marmosets between 18 months and 7 years of age. The older the monkey, the fewer new brain cells were found.

   "These new findings, however, offer further evidence that the primate brain actually shows a remarkable amount of structural reorganization over time," said Professor Elizabeth Gould, who led the study. "It declines with age, but it does persist at a lower level."

   Gould said other scientists will find the new discovery of value because it adds to the list of changes that have been observed in the brains of both primates and rodents.

   "This means we can be confident that what we discover about the rodent brain can be applied to primates," she said.

   For example, she said nerve cell growth in adult rodents is stimulated by socialization and exercise -- methods that researchers believe will also work in primates.

   The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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