Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Different Taxonomic Groups: Possible Functional Similarities and Striking Controversies

Adult neurogenesis occurs in many species, from fish to mammals, with an apparent reduction in the number of both neurogenic zones and new neurons inserted into established circuits with increasing brain complexity. Although the absolute number of new neurons is high in some species, the ratio of th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cells (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2019-02, Vol.8 (2), p.125
Main Authors: Augusto-Oliveira, Marcus, Arrifano, Gabriela P F, Malva, João O, Crespo-Lopez, Maria Elena
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
adult neurogenesis
Animals
Brain
Cell cycle
Cell growth
Classification
cognition
Cognitive ability
Computational neuroscience
Gene expression
Hippocampus
Hippocampus - physiology
human
Humans
Hypothalamus
Learning
Mammals
Memory
Navigation behavior
Nervous system
Neurogenesis
Reptiles & amphibians
Review
Spatial memory
Species
taxonomic level
Zebrafish
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Summary:Adult neurogenesis occurs in many species, from fish to mammals, with an apparent reduction in the number of both neurogenic zones and new neurons inserted into established circuits with increasing brain complexity. Although the absolute number of new neurons is high in some species, the ratio of these cells to those already existing in the circuit is low. Continuous replacement/addition plays a role in spatial navigation (migration) and other cognitive processes in birds and rodents, but none of the literature relates adult neurogenesis to spatial navigation and memory in primates and humans. Some models developed by computational neuroscience attribute a high weight to hippocampal adult neurogenesis in learning and memory processes, with greater relevance to pattern separation. In contrast to theories involving neurogenesis in cognitive processes, absence/rarity of neurogenesis in the hippocampus of primates and adult humans was recently suggested and is under intense debate. Although the learning process is supported by plasticity, the retention of memories requires a certain degree of consolidated circuitry structures, otherwise the consolidation process would be hampered. Here, we compare and discuss hippocampal adult neurogenesis in different species and the inherent paradoxical aspects.
ISSN:2073-4409
2073-4409
DOI:10.3390/cells8020125