Abstract
Analyzing the variation in different subpopulations of newborn neurons is central to the study of adult hippocampal neurogenesis. The acclaimed working hypothesis that different subpopulations of newborn, differentiating neurons could be playing different roles arouses great interest. Therefore, the physiological and quantitative analysis of neuronal subpopulations at different ages is critical to studies of neurogenesis. Such approaches allow cells of different ages to be identified by labeling them according to their probable date of birth. Until very recently, only neurons born at one specific time point could be identified in each experimental animal. However the introduction of different immunohistochemically compatible markers now enables multiple subpopulations of newborn neurons to be analyzed in the same animal as in a line-up, revealing the relationships between these subpopulations in response to specific influences or conditions. This review summarizes the current research carried out using these techniques and outlines some of the key applications.
Highlights
The accurate labeling of newborn cells in the adult brain poses a fundamental challenge in the study of adult neurogenesis
Analyzing the variation in different subpopulations of newborn neurons is central to the study of adult hippocampal neurogenesis.The acclaimed working hypothesis that different subpopulations of newborn, differentiating neurons could be playing different roles arouses great interest
Adult brain neurogenesis is closely linked with learning and memory, and it has been implicated in anxiety and depression
Summary
The accurate labeling of newborn cells in the adult brain poses a fundamental challenge in the study of adult neurogenesis. It will be important to note here that these cell populations can be traced using relatively specific markers (Figure 1) These markers can be used in conjunction with “birth-marking” labels to determine that the different subpopulations were born in the adult brain. BrdU has been the marker of choice in recent years for several reasons, in part because this method requires no radioactivity unlike the use of tritiated thymidine, which for decades was used to label dividing cell populations during brain development. A key limitation of this method is its ability to recognize only a single pool of BrdU incorporated into the body, regardless of when and how it was administered This has significant implications: all incorporated BrdU is detected as a single signal, and the cell populations that have incorporated BrdU are indistinguishable. BrdU administration must be sufficiently discrete in time (depending on the experimental design) www.frontiersin.org
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