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Review Articles

Neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus: history, regulation, and prospective roles

ORCID Icon, , &
Pages 598-611 | Received 25 Jun 2018, Accepted 03 Nov 2018, Published online: 26 Dec 2018
 

Abstract

Background: The hippocampus is one of the sites in the mammalian brain that is capable of continuously generating controversy. Adult neurogenesis is a remarkable process, and yet an intensely debatable topic in contemporary neuroscience due to its distinctiveness and conceivable impact on neural activity. The belief that neurogenesis continues through adulthood has provoked remarkable efforts to describe how newborn neurons differentiate and incorporate into the adult brain. It has also encouraged studies that investigate the consequences of inadequate neurogenesis in neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases and explore the potential role of neural progenitor cells in brain repair. The adult nervous system is not static; it is subjected to morphological and physiological alterations at various levels. This plastic mechanism guarantees that the behavioral regulation of the adult nervous system is adaptable in response to varying environmental stimuli. Three regions of the adult brain, the olfactory bulb, the hypothalamus, and the hippocampal dentate gyrus, contain new-born neurons that exhibit an essential role in the natural functional circuitry of the adult brain. Purpose/Aim: This article explores current advancements in adult hippocampal neurogenesis by presenting its history and evolution and studying its association with neural plasticity. The article also discusses the prospective roles of adult hippocampal neurogenesis and describes the intracellular, extracellular, pathological, and environmental factors involved in its regulation.

Abbreviations
AHN=

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis

AKT=

Protein kinase B

BMP=

Bone Morphogenic Protein

BrdU=

Bromodeoxyuridine

CNS=

Central nervous system

DG=

Dentate gyrus

DISC1=

Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1

FGF-2=

Fibroblast Growth Factor 2

GABA=

Gamma-aminobutyric acid

Mbd1=

Methyl-CpG-binding domain protein 1

Mecp2=

Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2

mTOR=

Mammalian target of rapamycin

NSCs=

Neural stem cells

OB=

Olfactory bulb; P21: cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1

RBPj=

Recombination Signal Binding protein for Immunoglobulin Kappa J Region

RMS=

Rostral migratory Stream

SGZ=

Subgranular zone

Shh=

Sonic hedgehog

SOX2=

SRY (sex determining region Y)-box 2

SVZ=

Subventricular zone

Wnt3=

Wingless-type mouse mammary tumor virus

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

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