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Adult Neurogenesis

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Neuroscience in the 21st Century

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Abstract

Adult neurogenesis is the generation of new neurons in the adult brain. Adult neurogenesis is an exception, as the brain of mammals is non-neurogenic. Rodents and primates have two neurogenic zones, the hippocampus and the olfactory bulb. Lower vertebrates often have many more sites of adult neurogenesis. In the peripheral nervous system, there is high neurogenesis in the olfactory epithelium. Neurogenesis in the olfactory bulb originates from precursor cells in the wall of the lateral ventricle, the subventricular zone. New interneurons in the bulb are produced. In the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, new excitatory granule cells are generated that add to the mossy fiber tract into hippocampal area CA3. Numerous factors are known to regulate neurogenesis: it seems that adult neurogenesis responds very sensitively to external stimuli. The current hypothesis is that adult hippocampal neurogenesis critically contributes to hippocampal function, allowing life-long adaptation processes. If adult neurogenesis fails, this might contribute to several important diseases, including dementias, major depression and schizophrenia, as well as temporal lobe epilepsy.

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Abbreviations

Ascl1:

Official symbol of gene Achaete-scute complex homolog 1 (Drosophila), also known as Mash1

BDNF:

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor

BLBP:

Brain lipid-binding protein, an antigen characteristic of radial glia

CA1:

Cornu ammonis, area 1, the third relay station in the trisynaptic backbone of the hippocampus, projecting to the subiculum and back to the cerebral cortex

CA3:

Cornu ammonis, area 3, the second relay station in the trisynaptic backbone of the hippocampus, projecting to CA1

DCX:

Doublecortin, protein related to the cytoskeleton and associated with plasticity, expressed during intermediate stages of adult neurogenesis

Dlx1:

Official symbol of gene Distal-less homeobox 1

EGF:

Epidermal growth factor

FGF2:

Fibroblast growth factor 2

GABA:

Gammy amino butyric acid, inhibitory neurotransmitter

GFAP:

Glial fibrillary acidic protein, intermediate filament that is the classical astrocytic marker, also expressed by the radial glia-like “stem cells”

GLAST:

Glutamate transporter, an antigen expressed by radial glia

Hes:

Official symbol of genes in the Hairy and enhancer of split family of genes

IGF1:

Insulin-like growth factor 1

LTP:

Long-term potentiation

miRNA:

Micro-ribo nucleic acid, short regulatory pieces of RNA

NeuroD:

Alias of gene Neurod1, neurogenic differentiation 1

NG2:

Acronym standing for “neuron glia 2,” the proteoglycan that allows identification of the class of cells named after this antigen, a particular group of cells, partially with precursor cell properties that share some neuronal and glial features

Ngn1:

Official symbol of gene Neurogenin 1

Pax6:

Official symbol of gene Paired box gene 6

Prox1:

Official symbol of gene Prospero-related homeobox 1

PSA-NCAM:

Polysialylated form of the neural cell adhesion molecule, surface molecule expressed during intermediate stages of adult neurogenesis

RMS:

Rostral migratory stream, the route of migration for neuroblasts between the SVZ and the olfactory bulb

SGZ:

Subgranular zone, the germinative matrix in the adult hippocampus, situated between the band of granule cells in the dentate gyrus and the hilus

SVZ:

Subventricular zone, in adult neurogenesis the germinative matrix immediately below the ependyma

Tbr1:

Alias of gene Eomes

Tbr1:

Official symbol of gene T-box brain gene 1

VEGF:

Vascular endothelial growth factor

References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CRTD – Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden and DZNE, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Fetscherstraße 105, 1307, Dresden, Germany

    Gerd Kempermann

Authors
  1. Gerd Kempermann
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gerd Kempermann .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA

    Donald W. Pfaff

  2. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Rockville, Maryland, USA

    Nora D. Volkow

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© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Kempermann, G. (2016). Adult Neurogenesis. In: Pfaff, D., Volkow, N. (eds) Neuroscience in the 21st Century. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3474-4_9

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