Abstract
The formation of new neurons in the adult central nervous system (CNS) has been recognized as one of the major findings in neuroanatomical research. The hippocampal formation (HF), one of the main targets of these investigations, holds a neurogenic niche widely recognized among several mammalian species and whose existence in the human brain has sparked controversy and extensive debate. Many cellular features from this region emphasize that hippocampal neurogenesis suffers changes with normal aging and, among regulatory factors, physical exercise and chronic stress provoke opposite effects on cell proliferation, maturation and survival. Considering the numerous functions attributable to the HF, increasing or decreasing the integration of new neurons in the delicate neuronal network might be significant for modulation of cognition and emotion. The role that immature and mature adult-born neurons play in this circuitry is still mostly unknown but it could prove fundamental to understand hippocampal-dependent cognitive processes, the pathophysiology of depression, and the therapeutic effects of antidepressant medication in modulating behavior and mental health.
Highlights
Neurogenesis is the biological process through which new neurons are formed (Altman and Das, 1965)
The original work of Santiago Ramón y Cajal stated that a similar process of neuron proliferation in the mature brain was inexistent, studies on adult neurogenesis remained central in the scientific community
By preferentially ablating mature adult-born neurons after training specific tasks, memory expression was disrupted, and performance on those tasks was impaired, consistent with context and spatial memory deficits (Arruda-Carvalho et al, 2011). These results suggest that adult-born neurons become committed to memory traces and that neurogenesis is necessary to provide cellular representations called engrams for encoding novel information (Arruda-Carvalho et al, 2011; Anacker and Hen, 2017)
Summary
Neurogenesis is the biological process through which new neurons are formed (Altman and Das, 1965). Neurogenesis on the Adult Brain primates (Gould et al, 1998) and humans (Eriksson et al, 1998) This raised relevant questions on the ultimate significance and impact of postdevelopmental neurogenesis, especially when only three distinct and specific neurogenic areas were mapped in the human brain (Ernst and Frisen, 2015): the hippocampal formation (HF), the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricles and the striatum. Beyond the scope of this review, the SVZ and the striatum could display remarkable features and there is still much to be explored in these brain areas
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