AI Article Synopsis
- New neurons in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus are essential for spatial learning and memory, while those from the subventricular zone aid in olfactory functions.
- Adult neurogenesis involves activating neural stem cells, with recent discoveries highlighting a similar precursor population in the hippocampus, which is crucial for learning.
- Investigating how to activate these latent neural precursors could lead to new therapies aimed at reversing cognitive decline in neurodegenerative diseases, with factors like exercise and certain drugs enhancing neurogenesis in the adult brain.
Article Abstract
The generation of new neurons within the dentate gyrus of the mature hippocampus is critical for spatial learning, object recognition and memory, whereas new neurons born in the subventricular zone (SVZ) contribute to olfactory function. Adult neurogenesis is a multistep process that begins with the activation and proliferation of a pool of stem/precursor cells. Although the presence of self-renewing and multipotent neural precursors is well established in the SVZ, it is only recently that the existence of such a precursor population has been demonstrated in the hippocampus, the region of the brain involved in learning and memory. Determining how this normally latent pool can be activated therefore offers considerable potential for the development of targeted neurogenic-based therapeutics to ameliorate the cognitive decline associated with hippocampal dysfunction in several neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we summarize the effects of neural activity, various molecular factors and pharmaceutical agents, as well as voluntary exercise, in activating endogenous neural precursors in the two neurogenic niches of the adult brain, and highlight the role of activation-driven enhancement of neurogenesis for the treatment of psychiatric illness and aging dementia.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuint.2011.04.003 | DOI Listing |
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