The adult mammalian brain can generate new neurons throughout life via the existence of small and sparse populations of neural stem cells dividing and differentiating into neurons. The hippocampus is one of the rare areas of the adult human brain where neurogenesis persists and others with the Thuret lab have shown that hippocampal neurogenesis is implicated in memory formation and mood regulation. The Thuret lab investigates environmental and molecular regulatory mechanisms controlling neural stem cell fate to (i) validate this hippocampal cellular population and neurogenesis as targets for environmental prevention and pharmacological intervention aimed at cognitive decline and mood disorders as well as to (ii) develop neural stem cell assays as biomarkers of disease prediction and progression.
During this Love your Brain Session we will explore how adult hippocampal neurogenesis is implicated in memory formation and mood regulation. We will also visit some of the environmental and molecular regulatory mechanisms controlling neural stem cell fate and show evidence that this hippocampal cellular population and neurogenesis can be used as targets for intervention aimed at cognitive decline and mood disorders. Finally, I will also present data showing how monitoring the modulation of hippocampal neural stem cells by the human systemic milieu could be used as a biomarker of cognitive aging and dementia.
This session was recorded on 9 October 2023 at the 36th ECNP Congress in Barcelona.
