Dentate gyrus-specific knockdown of adult neurogenesis impairs spatial and object recognition memory in adult rats

New granule cells are born throughout life in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampal formation. Given the fundamental role of the hippocampus in processes underlying certain forms of learning and memory, it has been speculated that newborn granule cells contribute to cognition. However, previous strategies aiming to causally link newborn neurons with hippocampal function used ablation strategies that were not exclusive to the hippocampus or that were associated with substantial side effects, such as inflammation. We here used a lentiviral approach to specifically block neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of adult male rats by inhibiting WNT signaling, which is critically involved in the generation of newborn…

• NS
  National Science Foundation
• UD
  U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• JS
  James S. McDonnell Foundation
• NA
  National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression
• NI
  National Institute of Mental Health

  Awards: P50 AG05131, AG05131
• NI
  National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke