Neurogenic plasticity and brain development

神经源性可塑性和大脑发育

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-06325
• 负责人: Tropepe, Vincent
• 金额: $ 2.77万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=629067
• 关键词: Neurogenic; plasticity; brain; development

The production of new neurons in the brain, a process called neurogenesis, continues throughout life. This is made possible by the existence of small populations of stem cells that persist in defined regions of the brain (called stem cell niches) that undergo cell division to produce new neurons functionally integrating into existing neural circuits. Research over the last 20 years has shown that neurogenesis in the mature brain is not a passive process, but instead can be modified with respect to the rate of stem cell division, the type of new neurons produced, or the extent to which new neurons survive. This form of structural plasticity, referred to here as ‘neurogenic plasticity,’ is thought to depend on mechanisms that are intrinsic to the brain interacting with the animal’s environment. However, our understanding of this interaction is quite limited and this represents a topic of intense interest in the field. Our research investigates how an animal’s external environment influences neurogenesis in the brain and whether this affects behaviour.

大脑中新神经元的产生，这个过程被称为神经发生，会持续一生。这是可能的，因为存在少量干细胞，这些干细胞持续存在于大脑的特定区域（称为干细胞壁龛），这些干细胞经历细胞分裂，产生新的神经元，在功能上与现有的神经回路整合。过去20年的研究表明，成熟大脑中的神经发生不是一个被动的过程，相反，可以根据干细胞分裂的速度、产生的新神经元的类型或新神经元存活的程度进行修改。这种形式的结构可塑性，在这里被称为“神经源性可塑性”，被认为依赖于大脑与动物环境相互作用的内在机制。然而，我们对这种相互作用的理解是相当有限的，这代表了该领域一个非常感兴趣的话题。我们的研究调查了动物的外部环境如何影响大脑中的神经发生，以及这是否会影响行为。