Structure and plasticity of adult neurogenesis

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Adult neurogenesis - the production of new neurons in the adult brain - occurs in many different types of animals and there is a growing awareness that different forms of learning and memory depend upon this process. Thus, structural changes that are due to neuron addition or replacement in the adult brain are evolutionarily conserved and functionally relevant. Among the most interesting and complex problems linked to the process of adult neurogenesis is the finding that the sensory environment seems to provide a strong stimulus for modulating the rate of new neuron production. However, we do not know the mechanism by which specific sensory cues (e.g., smell, taste or sight) influence the rate of neurogenesis in the brain. Furthermore, we do not know if specific sensory cues elicit changes in adult neurogenesis that are widespread or localized to particular brain regions for which the sensory stimulation is initially processed. Our work is driven by 3 main hypotheses: (1) the demand for new neurons in the adult brain depends upon local, region-specific requirements for this form of structural plasticity, which is reflected in the cellular organization and molecular regulation of stem and progenitor cell activity in different sites in the brain; (2) the rate of neurogenesis can be separately modulated in distinct sites in the brain to control neuron production by sensory-specific stimulation; and (3) while common molecular mechanisms regulate stem and progenitor cell identity and proliferation in all brain regions that display adult neurogenesis, relatively distinct genetic networks govern their region-specific adaptive plasticity. The goal of our research program in the next 5 years is to utilize advanced microscopy and genetics, novel sensory paradigms, and high throughput transcriptomics in order to gain important insight into the molecular and cellular organization and regional diversity of adult neurogenesis and the ability of this process to undergo adaptive plasticity at the molecular and cellular level. My long-term goal is to advance our research toward understanding how sensory modulation of genetic networks affects adult neurogenesis and how this, in turn, influences learning and memory.