In the history of neuroscience, few voices have combined quantitative precision with bold curiosity quite like the late Professor Bente Pakkenberg. A pioneer in the field of neurostereology, she revolutionised our understanding of the ageing brain, dedicating her life to mapping its intricate architecture with clarity and compassion.
Through meticulous stereological analyses of over 1,400 human brains, she charted how neuron numbers change over time. Her research revealed a 10% loss of neocortical neurons with age, yet fascinatingly, those who reached 100 years of age experienced no additional decline after age 90. This raised profound questions about cognitive reserve, resilience, and the biology of successful ageing.
Pakkenberg’s findings went further, showing that while fetal brains accumulate an average of 171 million neurons per day from week 22 until birth, adult brains retain the full neuronal count even as glial cell populations triple. Such data challenge simplified narratives of brain development and loss, offering instead a layered picture of neuroplasticity, support systems, and functional adaptation.
Her voice continues to echo not just in the field of ageing but in feminist neuroscience. She showed us that it’s not the number of neurons that defines capacity, but how they are used, supported, and sustained across a lifetime. In a field often overrun by reductionism, Bente Pakkenberg brought clarity, nuance, and a rare poetic truth.
She passed away in 14 April 2023, but the legacy she leaves is neuronal, indeed: enduring, deeply interconnected, and quietly powerful.
Written in remembrance — and admiration.
Pinar Sengul ~ Neuroscientist
Gündem / Agenda 