BBB Seminar: Ayumu Tashiro
Activity-dependent mechanisms in circuit formation through adult neurogenesis
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Ayumu Tashiro
Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience and Centre for the Biology of Memory, Norwegian University of Science and Technology and St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim
In contrast to the long-held dogma that neurogenesis (generation of new neurons) is restricted to the developing brain in mammals, it is now accepted that new neurons continue to be added in specific regions of the adult brain. One such area is the dentate gyrus, a subregion of the hippocampus that is crucial in cognitive functions such as learning and memory. New neurons are generated from dividing precursor cells, and their integration through a series of maturation processes reorganizes existing neural circuits. Accumulating evidence has suggested that these new neurons in the adult dentate gyrus have a role in learning and memory, although it is still unclear how they contribute to memory functions.
In this seminar I will present our recent findings on mechanisms by which animals’ experience, and associated neural activity, regulate new circuit formation through adult neurogenesis and discuss its potential contribution to memory functions.
Host: Clive Bramham, Department of Biomedicine