Dentate Gyrus Of Adult Mice Research Articles

Transcription factor 4 expression in the developing non-human primate brain: a comparative analysis with the mouse brain.

Transcription factor 4 (TCF4) has been implicated in a range of neuropsychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Mutations or deletions in TCF4 cause Pitt-Hopkins syndrome (PTHS), a rare neurodevelopmental disorder. A detailed understanding of its spatial expression across the developing brain is necessary for comprehending TCF4 biology and, by extension, to develop effective treatments for TCF4-associated disorders. However, most current knowledge is derived from mouse models, which are invaluable for preclinical studies but may not fully capture the complexities of human neuropsychiatric phenotypes. This study compared TCF4 expression in the developing mouse brain to its regional and cellular expression patterns in normal prenatal, neonatal, and young adult rhesus macaque brains, a species more relevant to human neurodevelopment. While the general developmental expression of TCF4 is largely conserved between macaques and mice, we saw several interspecies differences. Most notably, a distinct layered pattern of TCF4 expression was clear in the developing macaque neocortex but largely absent in the mouse brain. High TCF4 expression was seen in the inner dentate gyrus of adult mice but not in macaques. Conversely, TCF4 expression was higher in the adult macaque striatum compared to the mouse striatum. Further research is needed to show the significance of these interspecies differences. Still, they underscore the importance of integrating rodent and primate studies to comprehensively understand TCF4 function and its implications for human disorders. Moreover, the primate-specific expression patterns of TCF4 will inform genetic and other therapeutic strategies to treat TCF4-associated disorders.

RSPO/LGR signaling regulates proliferation of adult hippocampal neural stem cells.

In the dentate gyrus of the adult hippocampus, neurogenesis from neural stem cells (NSCs) is regulated by Wnt signals from the local microenvironment. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is active in NSCs, where it regulates proliferation and fate commitment, and subsequently its activity is strongly attenuated. The mechanisms controlling Wnt activity are poorly understood. In stem cells from adult peripheral tissues, secreted R-spondin proteins (RSPO1-4) interact with LGR4-6 receptors and control Wnt signaling strength. Here, we found that RSPO1-3 and LGR4-6 are expressed in the adult dentate gyrus and in cultured NSCs isolated from the adult mouse hippocampus. LGR4-5 expression decreased in cultured NSCs upon differentiation, concomitantly with the reported decrease in Wnt activity. Treatment with RSPO1-3 increased NSC proliferation and the expression of Cyclin D1, but did not induce the expression of Axin2 or RNF43, two well-described Wnt target genes. However, RSPOs enhanced the effect of Wnt3a on Axin2 and RNF43 expression, as well as on Wnt/β-catenin reporter activity, indicating that they can potentiate Wnt activity in NSCs. Moreover, RSPO1-3 were found to be expressed by cultured dentate gyrus astrocytes, a crucial component of the neurogenic niche. In co-culture experiments, the astrocyte-induced proliferation of NSCs was prevented by RSPO2 knockdown in astrocytes and LGR5 knockdown in hippocampal NSCs. Additionally, RSPO2 knockdown in the adult mouse dentate gyrus reduced proliferation of neural stem and progenitor cells in vivo. Altogether, our results indicate that RSPO/LGR signaling is present in the dentate gyrus and plays a crucial role in regulating neural precursor cell proliferation.

Somatostatin Interneurons Recruit Pre- and Postsynaptic GABAB Receptors in the Adult Mouse Dentate Gyrus.

The integration of spatial information in the mammalian dentate gyrus (DG) is critical to navigation. Indeed, DG granule cells (DGCs) rely upon finely balanced inhibitory neurotransmission in order to respond appropriately to specific spatial inputs. This inhibition arises from a heterogeneous population of local GABAergic interneurons (INs) that activate both fast, ionotropic GABAA receptors (GABAAR) and slow, metabotropic GABAB receptors (GABABR), respectively. GABABRs in turn inhibit pre- and postsynaptic neuronal compartments via temporally long-lasting G-protein-dependent mechanisms. The relative contribution of each IN subtype to network level GABABR signal setting remains unknown. However, within the DG, the somatostatin (SSt) expressing IN subtype is considered crucial in coordinating appropriate feedback inhibition on to DGCs. Therefore, we virally delivered channelrhodopsin 2 to the DG in order to obtain control of this specific SSt IN subpopulation in male and female adult mice. Using a combination of optogenetic activation and pharmacology, we show that SSt INs strongly recruit postsynaptic GABABRs to drive greater inhibition in DGCs than GABAARs at physiological membrane potentials. Furthermore, we show that in the adult mouse DG, postsynaptic GABABR signaling is predominantly regulated by neuronal GABA uptake and less so by astrocytic mechanisms. Finally, we confirm that activation of SSt INs can also recruit presynaptic GABABRs, as has been shown in neocortical circuits. Together, these data reveal that GABABR signaling allows SSt INs to control DG activity and may constitute a key mechanism for gating spatial information flow within hippocampal circuits.

Tamoxifen exerts direct and microglia-mediated effects preventing neuroinflammatory changes in the adult mouse hippocampal neurogenic niche.

Tamoxifen-inducible systems are widely used in research to control Cre-mediated gene deletion in genetically modified animals. Beyond Cre activation, tamoxifen also exerts off-target effects, whose consequences are still poorly addressed. Here, we investigated the impact of tamoxifen on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neuroinflammatory responses, focusing on the neurogenic activity in the adult mouse dentate gyrus. We demonstrated that a four-day LPS treatment led to an increase in microglia, astrocytes and radial glial cells with concomitant reduction of newborn neurons. These effects were counteracted by a two-day tamoxifen pre-treatment. Through selective microglia depletion, we elucidated that both LPS and tamoxifen influenced astrogliogenesis via microglia mediated mechanisms, while the effects on neurogenesis persisted even in a microglia-depleted environment. Notably, changes in radial glial cells resulted from a combination of microglia-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Overall, our data reveal that tamoxifen treatment per se does not alter the balance between adult neurogenesis and astrogliogenesis but does modulate cellular responses to inflammatory stimuli exerting a protective role within the adult hippocampal neurogenic niche.

Altered connectomes of adult-born granule cells following engraftment of GABAergic progenitors in the mouse hippocampus.

Adult neurogenesis occurs in the dentate gyrus (DG) of the rodent hippocampus throughout life, producing new granule cells (GCs) that migrate from a stem cell niche called the subgranular zone (SGZ) into the adjacent granule cell layer (GCL). Seizures associated with temporal lobe epilepsy alter adult neurogenesis and promote the formation of hyperexcitable circuits. Stem cell therapies for treating intractable seizure disorders are based on the premise that transplantation of GABAergic interneurons will strengthen inhibitory connections within the hippocampus and reduce hyperexcitability. Grafts of medial ganglionic eminence (MGE)-derived fetal GABAergic progenitors into the DG of adult mice with pilocarpine-induced TLE have been shown to suppress spontaneous recurrent seizures. In addition, the transplanted cells formed functional inhibitory synaptic connections with hippocampal neurons, including adult-born GCs. However, it is unknown whether MGE grafts change adult-born GC connectivity. To address this question, we compared the first-order monosynaptic inputs to adult-born GCs in TLE mice with or without MGE-derived interneuron grafts. Here we show that TLE increased excitatory inputs from endogenous hippocampal, entorhinal cortex, and medial septum/diagonal band neurons onto adult-born GCs. In contrast, in TLE mice with grafts, these excitatory inputs were reduced, coinciding with transplanted GABAergic interneuron innervation of adult-born GCs. These findings indicate that GABAergic interneuron transplantation into the dentate gyrus may prevent epilepsy-associated alterations in the connectivity of adult-born GCs.

Cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous roles of NKCC1 in regulating neural stem cell quiescence in the hippocampal dentate gyrus.

Quiescence is a hallmark of adult neural stem cells (NSCs) in the mammalian brain, and establishment and maintenance of quiescence is essential for life-long continuous neurogenesis. How NSCs in the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus acquire their quiescence during early postnatal stages and continuously maintain quiescence in adulthood is poorly understood. Here, we show that Hopx-CreERT2-mediated conditional deletion of Nkcc1, which encodes a chloride importer, in mouse DG NSCs impairs both their quiescence acquisition at early postnatal stages and quiescence maintenance in adulthood. Furthermore, PV-CreERT2-mediated deletion of Nkcc1 in PV interneurons in the adult mouse brain leads to activation of quiescent DG NSCs, resulting in an expanded NSC pool. Consistently, pharmacological inhibition of NKCC1 promotes NSC proliferation in both early postnatal and adult mouse DG. Together, our study reveals both cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous roles of NKCC1 in regulating the acquisition and maintenance of NSC quiescence in the mammalian hippocampus.

Vector-mediated PTEN deletion in the adult dentate gyrus initiates new growth of granule cell bodies and dendrites and expansion of mossy fiber terminal fields that continues for months

Embryonic and early postnatal deletion of the gene phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) results in neuronal hypertrophy, formation of aberrant neural networks and spontaneous seizures. Our previous studies document that deletion of PTEN in mature neurons also causes growth of cortical neuron cell bodies and dendrites, but it is unknown how this growth alters connectivity in mature circuits. Here, we explore consequences of deleting PTEN in a focal area of the dentate gyrus in adult male and female mice. PTEN deletion was accomplished by injecting AAV-Cre unilaterally into the dentate gyrus of double transgenic mice with lox-P sites flanking exon 5 of the PTEN gene and stop/flox tdTomato in the Rosa locus (PTENf/f/RosatdTomato). Focal deletion led to progressive increases in the size of the dentate gyrus at the injection site, enlargement of granule cell bodies, and increases in dendritic length and caliber. Quantitative analysis of dendrites by Golgi staining revealed dramatic increases in spine numbers throughout the proximo-distal extent of the dendritic tree, suggesting that dendritic growth is sufficient to induce new synapse formation by input neurons with intact PTEN expression. Tract tracing of input pathways to the dentate gyrus from the ipsilateral entorhinal cortex and commissural/associational system revealed that laminar specificity of termination of inputs is maintained. Mossy fiber axons from PTEN-deleted granule cells expanded their terminal field in CA3 where PTEN expression was intact and supra-granular mossy fibers developed in some mice. These findings document that persistent activation of mTOR via PTEN deletion in fully mature neurons re-initiates a state of robust cell-intrinsic growth, upending connectional homeostasis in fully mature hippocampal circuits.

The causal involvement of the BDNF-TrkB pathway in dentate gyrus in early-life stress-induced cognitive deficits in male mice

Cognitive dysfunction is a significant, untreated clinical need in patients with psychiatric disorders, for which preclinical studies are needed to understand the underlying mechanisms and to identify potential therapeutic targets. Early-life stress (ELS) leads to long-lasting deficits of hippocampus-dependent learning and memory in adult mice, which may be associated with the hypofunction of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its high-affinity receptor, tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB). In this study, we carried out eight experiments using male mice to examine the causal involvement of the BDNF-TrkB pathway in dentate gyrus (DG) and the therapeutic effects of the TrkB agonist (7,8-DHF) in ELS-induced cognitive deficits. Adopting the limited nesting and bedding material paradigm, we first demonstrated that ELS impaired spatial memory, suppressed BDNF expression and neurogenesis in the DG in adult mice. Downregulating BDNF expression (conditional BDNF knockdown) or inhibition of the TrkB receptor (using its antagonist ANA-12) in the DG mimicked the cognitive deficits of ELS. Acute upregulation of BDNF (exogenous human recombinant BDNF microinjection) levels or activation of TrkB receptor (using its agonist, 7,8-DHF) in the DG restored ELS-induced spatial memory loss. Finally, acute and subchronic systemic administration of 7,8-DHF successfully restored spatial memory loss in stressed mice. Subchronic 7,8-DHF treatment also reversed ELS-induced neurogenesis reduction. Our findings highlight BDNF-TrkB system as the molecular target of ELS-induced spatial memory deficits and provide translational evidence for the intervention at this system in the treatment of cognitive deficits in stress-related psychiatric disorders, such as major depressive disorder.

Increased Network Inhibition in the Dentate Gyrus of Adult Neuroligin-4 Knock-Out Mice

Loss-of-function mutations in neuroligin-4 (Nlgn4), a member of the neuroligin family of postsynaptic adhesion proteins, cause autism spectrum disorder in humans. Nlgn4 knockout (KO) in mice leads to social behavior deficits and complex alterations of synaptic inhibition or excitation, depending on the brain region. In the present work, we comprehensively analyzed synaptic function and plasticity at the cellular and network levels in hippocampal dentate gyrus of Nlgn4 KO mice. Compared with wild-type littermates, adult Nlgn4 KO mice exhibited increased paired-pulse inhibition of dentate granule cell population spikes, but no impairments in excitatory synaptic transmission or short-term and long-term plasticity in vivo In vitro patch-clamp recordings in neonatal organotypic entorhino-hippocampal slice cultures from Nlgn4 KO and wild-type littermates revealed no significant differences in excitatory or inhibitory synaptic transmission, homeostatic synaptic plasticity, and passive electrotonic properties in dentate granule cells, suggesting that the increased inhibition in vivo is the result of altered network activity in the adult Nlgn4 KO. A comparison with prior studies on Nlgn 1-3 knock-out mice reveals that each of the four neuroligins exerts a characteristic effect on both intrinsic cellular and network activity in the dentate gyrus in vivo.

Milk fat globule epidermal growth factor 8a regulates neurogenesis in telencephalon and affects larval behavior in zebrafish.

Mfge8, a secreted glycoprotein, is a key molecule that mediates the phagocytosis of apoptotic cells. Previous research reported that Mfge8 is critical for the proliferation and differentiation of radial glia cells (RGCs) in the dentate gyrus of adult mice. The treatment of Mfge8 is also beneficial for the repair of central nervous system (CNS) injury after cerebral ischemia. This study aimed to investigate whether the expression of mfge8a in zebrafish embryos was associated with the development of CNS and larval behavior. We found that zebrafish mfge8a was initially expressed at 48 hpf, and its expression was gradually increased in the ventricular zone. Knocking down mfge8a with antisense morpholino oligonucleotides impaired both spontaneous and photo-induced swimming locomotion in the behavioral tests. The neurogenesis analysis in telencephalon showed that mfge8a morphants excessively promoted neural differentiation over self-renewal after RGCs division, and consequently depleted proliferative RGCs population during early neurogenesis. Furthermore, downregulation of mfge8a was shown to alter the expression patterns of genes associated with Notch signaling pathway. Our results demonstrated that mfge8a is involved in the maintenance of the progenitor identity of RGCs in embryonic zebrafish brain via regulating Notch signaling pathway, thereby contributing to consistent neurogenesis and locomotor development.

Dentate gyrus astrocytes exhibit layer-specific molecular, morphological and physiological features.

Neuronal heterogeneity has been established as a pillar of higher central nervous system function, but glial heterogeneity and its implications for neural circuit function are poorly understood. Here we show that the adult mouse dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus is populated by molecularly distinct astrocyte subtypes that are associated with distinct DG layers. Astrocytes localized to different DG compartments also exhibit subtype-specific morphologies. Physiologically, astrocytes in upper DG layers form large syncytia, while those in lower DG compartments form smaller networks. Astrocyte subtypes differentially express glutamate transporters, which is associated with different amplitudes of glutamate transporter-mediated currents. Key molecular and morphological features of astrocyte diversity in the mice DG are conserved in humans. This adds another layer of complexity to our understanding of brain network composition and function, which will be crucial for further studies on astrocytes in health and disease.

Vangl2, a Core Component of the WNT/PCP Pathway, Regulates Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Age-Related Decline in Cognitive Flexibility.

Decline in episodic memory is one of the hallmarks of aging and represents one of the most important health problems facing Western societies. A key structure in episodic memory is the hippocampal formation and the dentate gyrus in particular, as the continuous production of new dentate granule neurons in this brain region was found to play a crucial role in memory and age-related decline in memory. As such, understanding the molecular processes that regulate the relationship between adult neurogenesis and aging of memory function holds great therapeutic potential. Recently, we found that Vang-Gogh like 2 (Vangl2), a core component of the Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) signaling pathway, is enriched in the dentate gyrus of adult mice. In this context, we sought to evaluate the involvement of this member of the Wnt/PCP pathway in both adult neurogenesis and memory abilities in adult and middle-aged mice. Using a heterozygous mouse model carrying a dominant-negative mutation in the Vangl2 gene, called Looptail (Vangl2Lp), we show that alteration in Vangl2 expression decreases the survival of adult-born granule cells and advances the onset of a decrease in cognitive flexibility. The inability of mutant mice to erase old irrelevant information to the benefit of new relevant ones highlights a key role of Vangl2 in interference-based forgetting. Taken together, our findings show that Vangl2 activity may constitute an interesting target to prevent age-related decline in hippocampal plasticity and memory.

Comparison of the Effects of Cuprizone on Demyelination in the Corpus Callosum and Hippocampal Progenitors in Young Adult and Aged Mice.

Cuprizone is commonly used to induce neuronal demyelination in mice. In the present study, we compared the cuprizone-induced demyelination in the corpus callosum and investigated the effects of cuprizone on proliferating cells and neuroblasts in the dentate gyrus of young adult and aged mice. 5-week- and 23-month-old mice were fed a normal diet or a 0.2% cuprizone-enriched diet for 5weeks. Mice fed a cuprizone-supplemented diet showed a significant reduction in myelin basic protein-positive structures in the corpus callosum, with the reduction in myelinated fibers being confirmed by electron microscopic analysis. In addition, we observed a marked increase in Ki67-positive proliferating cells and doublecortin-immunoreactive neuroblasts in young adult mice in response to cuprizone treatment, although not in aged mice, as the basal levels of these cells were significantly lower in these older mice. Furthermore, Ser133-phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (pCREB)-positive nuclei and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein levels were significantly reduced in young adult mice following cuprizone treatment in young adult, although again not in the aged mice. However, in both young adult and aged mice, there were no significant reductions in hippocampal mature neurons in response to cuprizone treatment. These observations indicate that in the mice of both age groups a cuprizone-supplemented diet contributes to an increase in demyelination in the corpus callosum and neural progenitor cells in the dentate gyrus, although the damage is more pronounced in young adult mice. This demyelination and reduction in neural progenitor cells may be associated with changes in the levels of BDNF and pCREB in the dentate gyrus.

H3K9 Methyltransferases Suv39h1 and Suv39h2 Control the Differentiation of Neural Progenitor Cells in the Adult Hippocampus.

In the dentate gyrus of the adult hippocampus new neurons are generated from neural precursor cells through different stages including proliferation and differentiation of neural progenitor cells and maturation of newborn neurons. These stages are controlled by the expression of specific transcription factors and epigenetic mechanisms, which together orchestrate the progression of the neurogenic process. However, little is known about the involvement of histone posttranslational modifications, a crucial epigenetic mechanism in embryonic neurogenesis that regulates fate commitment and neuronal differentiation. During embryonic development, the repressive modification trimethylation of histone H3 on lysine 9 (H3K9me3) contributes to the cellular identity of different cell-types. However, the role of this modification and its H3K9 methyltransferases has not been elucidated in adult hippocampal neurogenesis. We determined that during the stages of neurogenesis in the adult mouse dentate gyrus and in cultured adult hippocampal progenitors (AHPs), there was a dynamic change in the expression and distribution of H3K9me3, being enriched at early stages of the neurogenic process. A similar pattern was observed in the hippocampus for the dimethylation of histone H3 on lysine 9 (H3K9me2), another repressive modification. Among H3K9 methyltransferases, the enzymes Suv39h1 and Suv39h2 exhibited high levels of expression at early stages of neurogenesis and their expression decreased upon differentiation. Pharmacological inhibition of these enzymes by chaetocin in AHPs reduced H3K9me3 and concomitantly decreased neuronal differentiation while increasing proliferation. Moreover, Suv39h1 and Suv39h2 knockdown in newborn cells of the adult mouse dentate gyrus by retrovirus-mediated RNA interference impaired neuronal differentiation of progenitor cells. Our results indicate that H3K9me3 and H3K9 methyltransferases Suv39h1 and Suv39h2 are critically involved in the regulation of adult hippocampal neurogenesis by controlling the differentiation of neural progenitor cells.

Estimation of the density of neural, glial, and endothelial lineage cells in the adult mouse dentate gyrus.

The dentate gyrus subregion of the mammalian hippocampus is an adult neural stem cell niche and site of lifelong neurogenesis. Hypotheses regarding the role of adult-born neuron synaptic integration in hippocampal circuit function are framed by robust estimations of adult-born versus pre/perinatally-born neuron number. In contrast, the non-neurogenic functions of adult neural stem cells and their immediate progeny, such as secretion of bioactive growth factors and expression of extracellular matrix-modifying proteins, lack similar framing due to few estimates of their number versus other prominent secretory cells. Here, we apply immunohistochemical methods to estimate cell density of neural stem/progenitor cells versus other major classes of glial and endothelial cell types that are potentially secretory in the dentate gyrus of adult mice. Of the cell types quantified, we found that GFAP+SOX2+ stellate astrocytes were the most numerous, followed by CD31+ endothelia, GFAP-SOX2+ intermediate progenitors, Olig2+ oligodendrocytes, Iba1+ microglia, and GFAP+SOX2+ radial glia-like neural stem cells. We did not observe any significant sex differences in density of any cell population. Notably, neural stem/progenitor cells were present at a similar density as several cell types known to have potent functional roles via their secretome. These findings may be useful for refining hypotheses regarding the contributions of these cell types to regulating hippocampal function and their potential therapeutic uses. All experimental protocols were approved by the Ohio State University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (protocol# 2016A00000068) on July 14, 2016.

Impact of short-term oral dose of cinnamtannin A2, an (−)-epicatechin tetramer, on spatial memory and adult hippocampal neurogenesis in mouse

Recent epidemiological and intervention studies have suggested that polyphenol-rich plant food consumption reduced the risk of cognitive decline. However, the findings were tentative and by no means definitive. In the present study, we examined the impact of short-term oral administration of cinnamtannin A2 (A2), an (−)-epicatechin tetramer, on adult hippocampal neurogenesis and cognitive function in mice. Mice received supplementation with vehicle (20% glycerol) or 100 μg/kg A2 for 10 days. Then, we conducted the open field test, the object location test, and the novel object test. In the open field test, the A2-treated group tended to spend more time in the center of the arena, compared to the vehicle-treated group. The A2-treated group spent significantly more time exploring objects placed in different locations, compared to the vehicle-treated group. There were no significant differences between groups in the object preference index or in the novel object test. In addition, A2 administration significantly increased the number of hippocampal bromodeoxyuridine-labeled cells in the dentate gyrus, but not in the CA1 or CA3 regions. These results suggested that short-term administration of A2 may impact spatial memory by enhancing neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of adult mice.

The Presynaptic Scaffold Protein Bassoon in Forebrain Excitatory Neurons Mediates Hippocampal Circuit Maturation: Potential Involvement of TrkB Signalling.

A presynaptic active zone organizer protein Bassoon orchestrates numerous important functions at the presynaptic active zone. We previously showed that the absence of Bassoon exclusively in forebrain glutamatergic presynapses (BsnEmx1cKO) in mice leads to developmental disturbances in dentate gyrus (DG) affecting synaptic excitability, morphology, neurogenesis and related behaviour during adulthood. Here, we demonstrate that hyperexcitability of the medial perforant path-to-DG (MPP-DG) pathway in BsnEmx1cKO mice emerges during adolescence and is sustained during adulthood. We further provide evidence for a potential involvement of tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB), the high-affinity receptor for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), mediated signalling. We detect elevated TrkB protein levels in the dorsal DG of adult mice (~3–5 months-old) but not in adolescent (~4–5 weeks-old) mice. Electrophysiological analysis reveals increased field-excitatory-postsynaptic-potentials (fEPSPs) in the DG of the adult, but not in adolescent BsnEmx1cKO mice. In line with an increased TrkB expression during adulthood in BsnEmx1cKO, blockade of TrkB normalizes the increased synaptic excitability in the DG during adulthood, while no such effect was observed in adolescence. Accordingly, neurogenesis, which has previously been found to be increased in adult BsnEmx1cKO mice, was unaffected at adolescent age. Our results suggest that Bassoon plays a crucial role in the TrkB-dependent postnatal maturation of the hippocampus.

Role of NMDA Receptors in Adult Neurogenesis and Normal Development of the Dentate Gyrus.

The NMDA receptors are a type of glutamate receptors, which is involved in neuronal function, plasticity and development in the mammalian brain. However, how the NMDA receptors contribute to adult neurogenesis and development of the dentate gyrus is unclear. In this study, we investigate this question by examining a region-specific knock-out mouse line that lacks the NR1 gene, which encodes the essential subunit of the NMDA receptors, in granule cells of the dentate gyrus (DG-NR1KO mice). We found that the survival of newly-generated granule cells, cell proliferation and the size of the granule cell layer are significantly reduced in the dorsal dentate gyrus of adult DG-NR1KO mice. Our results also show a significant reduction in the number of immature neurons and in the volume of the granule cell layer, starting from three weeks of postnatal age. DG-NR1KO mice also showed impairment in the expression of an immediate early gene, Arc, and behavior during the novelty-suppressed feeding and open field test. These results suggest that the NMDA receptors in granule cells have a role in adult neurogenesis in the adult brain and contributes to the normal development of the dentate gyrus.

Preparation of Acute Slices from Dorsal Hippocampus for Whole-Cell Recording and Neuronal Reconstruction in the Dentate Gyrus of Adult Mice

Preparation of Acute Slices from Dorsal Hippocampus for Whole-Cell Recording and Neuronal Reconstruction in the Dentate Gyrus of Adult Mice

Preparation of Acute Slices from Dorsal Hippocampus for Whole-Cell Recording and Neuronal Reconstruction in the Dentate Gyrus of Adult Mice.

Although the general architecture of the hippocampus is similar along its longitudinal axis, recent studies have revealed prominent differences in molecular, anatomical and functional criteria suggesting a division into different sub-circuits along its rostro-caudal extent. Owing to differential connectivity and function the most fundamental distinction is made between the dorsal and the ventral hippocampus, which are preferentially involved in spatial and emotional processing, respectively. Accordingly, in vivo work regarding spatial memory formation has focused on the dorsal hippocampus. In contrast, electro-physiological in vitro recordings have been preferentially performed on intermediate-ventral hippocampus, largely motivated by factors like slice viability and circuit integrity. To allow for direct correlation of in vivo data on spatial processing with in vitro data we have adapted previous sectioning methods to obtain highly viable transverse brain slices from the dorsal-intermediate hippocampus for long-term recordings of principal cells and interneurons in the dentate gyrus. As spatial behavior is routinely analyzed in adult mice, we have combined this transversal slicing procedure with the use of protective solutions to enhance viability of brain tissue from mature animals. We use this approach for mice of about 3 months of age. The method offers a good alternative to the coronal preparation which is frequently used for in vitro studies on dorsal hippocampus. We compare these two preparations in terms of quality of recordings and preservation of morphological features of recorded neurons.