Neuronal Proliferation and Survival
Another ongoing research effort at the CSBMB, conducted by Professor Elizabeth Gould, aims to understand the conditions that permit the appropriate proliferation and survival of neurons in the brain. This information is important for understanding normal and abnormal brain development, as well as the inability of the adult brain to replace neurons lost following trauma or disease. The granule neuron population of the rat dentate gyrus has been the main focus of these studies because, unlike the majority of neuronal populations, it is formed predominantly during the postnatal period, and new granule neurons continue to be produced well into adulthood. Moreover, the dentate gyrus has the unique ability to produce neurons following damage. This system offers the unique opportunity to explore parallel questions of cell proliferation and survival in the intact brain during development and in adulthood. Current topics of research include the following: Hormonal and neurotransmitter factors that regulate cell proliferation and survival; experience-dependent changes in neurogenesis; functional consequences of changes in the rate of neurogenesis; and clinical implications, including the possibility that the unique plasticity of the granule neuron population is partially responsible for the unusual resistance of the dentate gyrus to degeneration in pathological human conditions such as epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease.
Contact:
Elizabeth Gould