Young adult born neurons enhance hippocampal dependent performance via influences on bilateral networks
- Boston University, United States
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States
Abstract
Adult neurogenesis supports performance in many hippocampal dependent tasks. Considering the small number of adult-born neurons generated at any given time, it is surprising that this sparse population of cells can substantially influence behavior. Recent studies have demonstrated that heightened excitability and plasticity may be critical for the contribution of young adult-born cells for certain tasks. What is not well understood is how these unique biophysical and synaptic properties may translate to networks that support behavioral function. Here we employed a location discrimination task in mice while using optogenetics to transiently silence adult-born neurons at different ages. We discovered that adult-born neurons promote location discrimination during early stages of development but only if they undergo maturation during task acquisition. Silencing of young adult-born neurons also produced changes extending to the contralateral hippocampus, detectable by both electrophysiology and fMRI measurements, suggesting young neurons may modulate location discrimination through influences on bilateral hippocampal networks.
Article and author information
Author details
Funding
NIH Office of the Director (1DP2NS082126)
- Xue Han
National Institute of Mental Health (5R00MH085944, 1R21MH109941)
- Xue Han
NIH Office of the Director (R01-DA028299)
- Alan P Jasanoff
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (W911NF-10-0059)
- Alan P Jasanoff
Pew Charitable Trusts
- Xue Han
American Federation for Aging Research
- Jia-Min Zhuo
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
- Xue Han
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
Reviewing Editor
- Marlene Bartos, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany
Ethics
Animal experimentation: All procedures involving animals were in accordance with the National Institutes of Health Guide for the care and use of Laboratory Animals, and approved by the Boston University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Animal Care and Use Committee (protocol #'s: BU: 15-010; MIT: 1115-111-18).
Version history
- Received: October 15, 2016
- Accepted: November 16, 2016
- Accepted Manuscript published: December 3, 2016 (version 1)
- Version of Record published: December 14, 2016 (version 2)
Copyright
© 2016, Zhuo et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
Metrics
-
- 8,213
- views
-
- 707
- downloads
-
- 37
- citations
Views, downloads and citations are aggregated across all versions of this paper published by eLife.
Download links
A two-part list of links to download the article, or parts of the article, in various formats.
Downloads (link to download the article as PDF)
Open citations (links to open the citations from this article in various online reference manager services)
Cite this article (links to download the citations from this article in formats compatible with various reference manager tools)
Young adult born neurons enhance hippocampal dependent performance via influences on bilateral networks
eLife 5:e22429.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.22429
Further reading
-
- Genetics and Genomics
- Neuroscience
Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals the extent to which marmosets carry genetically distinct cells from their siblings.
-
- Neuroscience
We are unresponsive during slow-wave sleep but continue monitoring external events for survival. Our brain wakens us when danger is imminent. If events are non-threatening, our brain might store them for later consideration to improve decision-making. To test this hypothesis, we examined whether novel vocabulary consisting of simultaneously played pseudowords and translation words are encoded/stored during sleep, and which neural-electrical events facilitate encoding/storage. An algorithm for brain-state-dependent stimulation selectively targeted word pairs to slow-wave peaks or troughs. Retrieval tests were given 12 and 36 hr later. These tests required decisions regarding the semantic category of previously sleep-played pseudowords. The sleep-played vocabulary influenced awake decision-making 36 hr later, if targeted to troughs. The words’ linguistic processing raised neural complexity. The words’ semantic-associative encoding was supported by increased theta power during the ensuing peak. Fast-spindle power ramped up during a second peak likely aiding consolidation. Hence, new vocabulary played during slow-wave sleep was stored and influenced decision-making days later.
