Multimodal brain cell atlas across the adult macaque lifespan.

Zhang X; Lai G; Guo X; Ma W; Yuan Y; Zhang H; Zhang B; Fan P; Liu X; Guo P; An J; Li J; Huang K; Li X; Zuo J; Wu L; Shangguan S; Yu F; Xiang Y; Hu Y; Liu Y; Huang Y; Lin Y; He D; Pan M; Chen L; Li B; Zhang J; Guo Q; Yang W; Yin P; Li S; Zhang X; Yang T; Wei X; Lv Y; Qin B; Qing X; Deng Q; Huang Y; Liu C; Han L; Liu S; Qin D; Liu Z; Zhou Y; Qiao L; Li C; Zhang Y; Liu Z; Li Y; Carriba P; Dierssen M; Volpe G; Graf S; Diks IF; Flotho M; Krol RP; Mulder J; Ariaychet C; Hirankarn N; Hutchins AP; Keller A; Maxwell PH; Rubinsztein DC; Muñoz-Cánoves P; Liu X; Tse HF; Poo M; Wang B; Liu L; Gu Y; Xie J; Xu X; Li X; Liu C; Lai Y; Esteban MA; Liu M

doi:10.1016/j.cell.2026.07.045

Journal ArticleCell·Aug 2026

Monkey Brain Atlas Points to White Matter as an Aging Weak Spot

Researchers mapped nearly 3 million brain cells from monkeys across their adult lives, including some very old ones. The brainstem areas that handle basic wiring and signal insulation showed the earliest and heaviest signs of aging. That points to white matter, the brain's insulated cabling, as a key vulnerability. Some of the same patterns showed up in human brain aging data.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure: Many authors are employees of the BGI Group, a genomics company.

Disclaimer: Research summaries are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your health routine.

Topics

Brain Aging Neuroscience

Evidence

Moderate

Promising but not yet settled, often smaller human trials, observational data, or animal work.

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Original Paper

Multimodal brain cell atlas across the adult macaque lifespan.

Zhang X, Lai G, Guo X, Ma W, Yuan Y, Zhang H, Zhang B, Fan P, Liu X, Guo P, An J, Li J, Huang K, Li X, Zuo J, Wu L, Shangguan S, Yu F, Xiang Y, Hu Y, Liu Y, Huang Y, Lin Y, He D, Pan M, Chen L, Li B, Zhang J, Guo Q, Yang W, Yin P, Li S, Zhang X, Yang T, Wei X, Lv Y, Qin B, Qing X, Deng Q, Huang Y, Liu C, Han L, Liu S, Qin D, Liu Z, Zhou Y, Qiao L, Li C, Zhang Y, Liu Z, Li Y, Carriba P, Dierssen M, Volpe G, Graf S, Diks IF, Flotho M, Krol RP, Mulder J, Ariaychet C, Hirankarn N, Hutchins AP, Keller A, Maxwell PH, Rubinsztein DC, Muñoz-Cánoves P, Liu X, Tse HF, Poo M, Wang B, Liu L, Gu Y, Xie J, Xu X, Li X, Liu C, Lai Y, Esteban MA, Liu M

Cell·Aug 18, 2026

Terms used

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)