INTR10

Authors:

Abrous DN

Institutions:

INSERM U862, Magendie Neurocenter, Bordeaux, France

Title of abstract : Adult hippocampal neurogenesis and spatial memory

Abstract text:

The dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus is one of the few regions of the mammalian brain where new neurons are generated throughout adulthood. This structure is part of an integrated network that plays an important role in memory processes and in particular in the establishment and use of spatial representations. In virtue of the structure-function relationship, adult neurogenesis has been proposed as a novel mechanism that mediates spatial memory. Our aim is to uncover the relationship between neurogenesis and memory. Given that the hippocampus is the brain region the most vulnerable to ageing processes, we first examined the role of adult neurogenesis in the appearance of age-related cognitive deficits.We have shown that in some subjects an alteration of hippocampal neurogenesis plays a pivotal role in the development of pathological aging. Then, to establish causal relationships between neurogenesis and memory, we developed a transgenic tool to impair neurogenesis. We found that the involvement of adult-born neurons in hippocampo-dependent spatial memory depends upon the cognitive demand of the task. Altogether these findings highlight the role of adult-born neurons in specific memory function and the importance of optimizing neurogenesis for preventing/curing memory pathologies.

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