Spatial relational memory requires hippocampal adult neurogenesis

The dentate gyrus of the hippocampus is one of the few regions of the mammalian brain where new neurons are generated throughout adulthood. This adult neurogenesis has been proposed as a novel mechanism that mediates spatial memory. However, data showing a causal relationship between neurogenesis an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2008-04, Vol.3 (4), p.e1959-e1959
Main Authors: Dupret, David, Revest, Jean-Michel, Koehl, Muriel, Ichas, François, De Giorgi, Francesca, Costet, Pierre, Abrous, Djoher Nora, Piazza, Pier Vincenzo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging
Aging - physiology
Alcohol
Animal memory
Animals
bcl-2-Associated X Protein
bcl-2-Associated X Protein - genetics
Brain
Cell Differentiation
Cell Differentiation - physiology
Cell growth
CHO Cells
Cricetinae
Cricetulus
Dentate Gyrus
Dentate Gyrus - cytology
Dentate Gyrus - physiology
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
Genetic engineering
Hippocampus
Hippocampus - cytology
Hippocampus - physiology
Learning
Life Sciences
Memory
Memory - physiology
Memory tasks
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Mice, Inbred CBA
Mice, Transgenic
Microscopy
Neurogenesis
Neurons
Neurons - cytology
Neurons - physiology
Neuroscience
Proteins
Rodents
Spatial analysis
Spatial memory
Transgenic animals
Trends
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Summary:The dentate gyrus of the hippocampus is one of the few regions of the mammalian brain where new neurons are generated throughout adulthood. This adult neurogenesis has been proposed as a novel mechanism that mediates spatial memory. However, data showing a causal relationship between neurogenesis and spatial memory are controversial. Here, we developed an inducible transgenic strategy allowing specific ablation of adult-born hippocampal neurons. This resulted in an impairment of spatial relational memory, which supports a capacity for flexible, inferential memory expression. In contrast, less complex forms of spatial knowledge were unaltered. These findings demonstrate that adult-born neurons are necessary for complex forms of hippocampus-mediated learning.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0001959