The subventricular zone (SVZ) of the anterolateral ventricle and the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampal dentate gyrus are the two main regions of the adult mammalian brain in which neurogenesis is maintained throughout life. Because alterations in adult neurogenesis appear to be a common hallmark of different neurodegenerative diseases, understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling ...

Generation of neural precursors persists throughout life in the forebrain subventricular zone (SVZ) and dentate gyrus (DG) subgranular zone (SGZ) in rodent and human brains. In addition, newborn granule cells in the hippocampal DG are important for learning and memory formation. Brain injuries such as seizures or trauma could trigger endogenous programs for adult neurogenesis. Although brain is...

Neurogenesis after brain injury not only leads to the replacement of damaged cells but might also contribute to functional recovery, suggesting the possibility of endogenous neural repair. We investigated the extent of hippocampal neural regeneration in a rat model of hypoglycemia. Two weeks after 30 min of insulin-induced isoelectric electroencephalogram, extensive neuronal loss was observed i...

The long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI), specifically the detrimental effects of inflammation on the neurogenic niches, are not very well understood. In the present in vivo study, we examined the prolonged pathological outcomes of experimental TBI in different parts of the rat brain with special emphasis on inflammation and neurogenesis. Sixty days after moderate controlled c...

In the adult hippocampus, neuroprogenitor cells in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus give rise to newborn neuroblasts. However, only a small subset of these cells integrates into the hippocampal circuitry as mature neurons at the end of a 4 week period. Here, we show that the majority of the newborn cells undergo death by apoptosis in the first 1 to 4 days of their life, during th...

To characterize the properties of adult neural stem cells (NSCs), we generated and analyzed Sox2-GFP transgenic mice. Sox2-GFP cells in the subgranular zone (SGZ) express markers specific for progenitors, but they represent two morphologically distinct populations that differ in proliferation levels. Lentivirus- and retrovirus-mediated fate-tracing studies showed that Sox2+ cells in the SGZ hav...

Neurogenesis in mammals occurs throughout life in two brain regions: the ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) and the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Development and regulation of the V-SVZ and SGZ is unique to each brain region, but with several similar characteristics. Alterations to the production of new neurons in neurogenic regions have been linked to psychiatri...

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been implicated in regulating adult neurogenesis in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus; however, the mechanism underlying this regulation remains unclear. In this study, we found that Bdnf mRNA localized to distal dendrites of dentate gyrus granule cells isolated from wild-type (WT) mice, but not from Bdnf(klox/klox) mice where the long ...

The long-term response to chronic stress is variable, with some individuals developing maladaptive functioning, although other "resilient" individuals do not. Stress reduces neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus subgranular zone (SGZ), but it is unknown if stress-induced changes in neurogenesis contribute to individual vulnerability. Using a chronic social defeat stress model, we explored whether t...