The Contribution of Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis to the Progression of Psychiatric Disorders

2017 ◽  
pp. 124-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel A. Kohman ◽  
Justin S. Rhodes
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Hippocampal Neurogenesis ◽  
Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis

Is adult hippocampal neurogenesis really relevant for the treatment of psychiatric disorders?

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Carli ◽  
Stefano Aringhieri ◽  
Shivakumar Kolachalam ◽  
Biancamaria Longoni ◽  
Giovanna Grenno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Emotional Processing ◽  
Imaging Techniques ◽  
Hippocampal Neurogenesis ◽  
Adult Brain ◽  
Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis ◽  
Mood Stabilizers ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Newborn Neurons ◽  
Hippocampal Circuitry

: Adult neurogenesis consists in the generation of newborn neurons from neural stem cells taking place in the adult brain. In mammals, this process is limited to very few areas of the brain, and one of these neurogenic niches is the subgranular layer of the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus. Adult newborn neurons are generated from quiescent neural progenitors (QNPs), which differentiate through different steps into mature granule cells (GCs), to be finally integrated into the existing hippocampal circuitry. In animal models, adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) is relevant for pattern discrimination, cognitive flexibility, emotional processing and resilience to stressful situations. Imaging techniques allow to visualize newborn neurons within the hippocampus through all their stages of development and differentiation. In humans, the evidence of AHN is more challenging, and, based on recent findings, it persists through the adulthood, even if it declines with age. Whether this process has an important role in human brain function and how it integrates into the existing hippocampal circuitry is still a matter of exciting debate. Importantly, AHN deficiency has been proposed to be relevant in many psychiatric disorders, including mood disorders, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia. This review aims to investigate how AHN is altered in different psychiatric conditions and how pharmacological treatments can rescue this process. In fact, many psychoactive drugs, such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers and atypical antipsychotics (AAPs), can boost AHN with different results. In addition, some non-pharmacological approaches are discussed as well.

scholarly journals Functional Role of Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis as a Therapeutic Strategy for Mental Disorders

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heechul Jun ◽  
Syed Mohammed Qasim Hussaini ◽  
Michael J. Rigby ◽  
Mi-Hyeon Jang
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Adult Neurogenesis ◽  
Hippocampal Neurogenesis ◽  
Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis ◽  
Mammalian Brain ◽  
Antidepressant Effect ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Deep Brain

Adult neurogenesis, the process of generating new neurons from neural stem cells, plays significant roles in synaptic plasticity, memory, and mood regulation. In the mammalian brain, it continues to occur well into adulthood in discrete regions, namely, the hippocampus and olfactory bulb. During the past decade, significant progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms regulating adult hippocampal neurogenesis and its role in the etiology of mental disorders. In addition, adult hippocampal neurogenesis is highly correlated with the remission of the antidepressant effect. In this paper, we discuss three major psychiatric disorders, depression, schizophrenia, and drug addiction, in light of preclinical evidence used in establishing the neurobiological significance of adult neurogenesis. We interpret the significance of these results and pose questions that remain unanswered. Potential treatments which include electroconvulsive therapy, deep brain stimulation, chemical antidepressants, and exercise therapy are discussed. While consensus lacks on specific mechanisms, we highlight evidence which indicates that these treatments may function via an increase in neural progenitor proliferation and changes to the hippocampal circuitry. Establishing a significant role of adult neurogenesis in the pathogenicity of psychiatric disorders may hold the key to potential strategies toward effective treatment.

scholarly journals Modulation of Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis by Early-Life Environmental Challenges Triggering Immune Activation

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ksenia Musaelyan ◽  
Martin Egeland ◽  
Cathy Fernandes ◽  
Carmine M. Pariante ◽  
Patricia A. Zunszain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Developmental Programming ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Hippocampal Neurogenesis ◽  
Neural Progenitors ◽  
Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis ◽  
Postnatal Exposure ◽  
Adult Hippocampus

The immune system plays an important role in the communication between the human body and the environment, in early development as well as in adulthood. Per se, research has shown that factors such as maternal stress and nutrition as well as maternal infections can activate the immune system in the infant. A rising number of research studies have shown that activation of the immune system in early life can augment the risk of some psychiatric disorders in adulthood, such as schizophrenia and depression. The mechanisms of such a developmental programming effect are unknown; however some preliminary evidence is emerging in the literature, which suggests that adult hippocampal neurogenesis may be involved. A growing number of studies have shown that pre- and postnatal exposure to an inflammatory stimulus can modulate the number of proliferating and differentiating neural progenitors in the adult hippocampus, and this can have an effect on behaviours of relevance to psychiatric disorders. This review provides a summary of these studies and highlights the evidence supporting a neurogenic hypothesis of immune developmental programming.

scholarly journals Multiple mechanisms involved in the large-spectrum therapeutic potential of cannabidiol in psychiatric disorders

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1607) ◽  
pp. 3364-3378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alline Cristina Campos ◽  
Fabricio Araújo Moreira ◽  
Felipe Villela Gomes ◽  
Elaine Aparecida Del Bel ◽  
Francisco Silveira Guimarães
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Safety Profile ◽  
Cannabis Sativa ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Hippocampal Neurogenesis ◽  
Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis ◽  
Response Curves ◽  
Initial Stimulus ◽  
Trpv1 Channels ◽  
Wide Range

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a major phytocannabinoid present in the Cannabis sativa plant. It lacks the psychotomimetic and other psychotropic effects that the main plant compound Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) being able, on the contrary, to antagonize these effects. This property, together with its safety profile, was an initial stimulus for the investigation of CBD pharmacological properties. It is now clear that CBD has therapeutic potential over a wide range of non-psychiatric and psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression and psychosis. Although the pharmacological effects of CBD in different biological systems have been extensively investigated by in vitro studies, the mechanisms responsible for its therapeutic potential are still not clear. Here, we review recent in vivo studies indicating that these mechanisms are not unitary but rather depend on the behavioural response being measured. Acute anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects seem to rely mainly on facilitation of 5-HT1A-mediated neurotransmission in key brain areas related to defensive responses, including the dorsal periaqueductal grey, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and medial prefrontal cortex. Other effects, such as anti-compulsive, increased extinction and impaired reconsolidation of aversive memories, and facilitation of adult hippocampal neurogenesis could depend on potentiation of anandamide-mediated neurotransmission. Finally, activation of TRPV1 channels may help us to explain the antipsychotic effect and the bell-shaped dose-response curves commonly observed with CBD. Considering its safety profile and wide range of therapeutic potential, however, further studies are needed to investigate the involvement of other possible mechanisms (e.g. inhibition of adenosine uptake, inverse agonism at CB2 receptor, CB1 receptor antagonism, GPR55 antagonism, PPARγ receptors agonism, intracellular (Ca 2+ ) increase, etc.), on CBD behavioural effects.

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