Adult-Born Hippocampal Neurons Undergo Extended Development and Are Morphologically Distinct from Neonatally-Born Neurons.

ABSTRACT: During immature stages, adult-born neurons pass through critical periods for survival and plasticity. It is generally assumed that by 2 months of age adult-born neurons are mature and equivalent to the broader neuronal population, raising questions of how they might contribute to hippocampal function in old age when neurogenesis has declined. However, few have examined adult-born neurons beyond the critical period or directly compared them to neurons born in infancy. Here, we used a retrovirus to visualize functionally relevant morphological features of 2- to 24-week-old adult-born neurons in male rats. From 2 to 7 weeks, neurons grew and attained a relatively mature phenotype. However, several features of 7-week-old neurons suggested a later wave of growth: these neurons had larger nuclei

SUBMITTER: Cole JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7380968 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature