Hippocampal neurogenesis during normal and pathological aging.

ABSTRACT

It is now widely accepted that new neurons continue to be added to the brain throughout life including during normal aging. The finding of adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus, a structure involved in the processing of memories, has favored the idea that newborn neurons might subserve cognitive functions. Recent work on human post-mortem tissues and mice models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has reported persistent hippocampal proliferative capacity during pathological aging. Although it is not yet clear whether neurogenesis leads to the production of fully functional mature neurons in AD brains, these findings open prospects for cell-replacement therapies. Strategies aimed at promoting neurogenesis may also contribute to improve cognitive deficits caused by normal or pathological aging.