Functional Differentiation of Adult-Born Neurons along the Septotemporal Axis of the Dentate Gyrus
- Melody V. Wu1,2,9,
- Amar Sahay3,4,
- Ronald S. Duman5,6 and
- René Hen1,2,7,8
- 1Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
- 2Division of Integrative Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York 10032
- 3Center for Regenerative Medicine and Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114
- 4Harvard Stem Cell Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
- 5Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520
- 6Department of Neurobiology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520
- 7Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
- 8Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
- Correspondence: rh95{at}columbia.edu
Abstract
Over the past several decades, the proliferation and integration of adult-born neurons into existing hippocampal circuitry has been implicated in a wide range of behaviors, including novelty recognition, pattern separation, spatial learning, anxiety behaviors, and antidepressant response. In this review, we suggest that the diversity in behavioral requirements for new neurons may be partly caused by separate functional roles of individual neurogenic niches. Growing evidence shows that the hippocampal formation can be compartmentalized not only along the classic trisynaptic circuit, but also along a longitudinal septotemporal axis. We suggest that subpopulations of hippocampal adult-born neurons may be specialized for distinct mnemonic- or mood-related behavioral tasks. We will examine the literature supporting a functional and anatomical dissociation of the hippocampus along the longitudinal axis and discuss techniques to functionally dissect the roles of adult-born hippocampal neurons in these distinct subregions.
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