For most Indians, the idea of brain health stops at memory pills or crossword puzzles. We’ve been told that after a certain age, you just start forgetting — and that’s that. But what if that’s not true?
A recent breakthrough suggests that even in our 70s, our brains are still quietly making new neurons — tiny cells being born in a part of the brain responsible for memory and emotion. The place where names are remembered, where smells evoke childhood, where grief and healing often sit side by side — the hippocampus — is still alive with new activity.
This isn’t just science for labs and lectures. In a country where strokes often go untreated, where mental health still gets whispered about, and where dementia is shrugged off as “old age,” the fact that new brain cells can still be born is deeply human news.
Imagine if this meant that memory loss wasn’t always a one-way road. Or that healing from depression wasn’t just about chemicals, but about coaxing the brain back to growth. In a society ageing fast — with 1 in 10 Indians projected to be over 60 in a few years — these neurons could mean the difference between fading out or staying sharp and emotionally present.
The question now isn’t “Can it happen?” — but “Can we help it happen more?”
Vader Top Dog