title: Influence of ontogenetic age on the role of dentate granule neurons.
abstract: New neurons are continuously produced in the adult dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, a key structure in learning and memory. It has been shown that adult neurogenesis is crucial for normal memory processing. However, it is not known whether neurons born during the developmental period and during adulthood support the same functions. Here, we demonstrate that neurons born in neonates (first postnatal week) are activated in different memory processes when they are mature compared to neurons born in adults. By imaging the activation of these two different neuron generations in the same rat and using the IEG Zif268 and Fos, we show that these neurons are involved in discriminating dissimilar contexts and spatial problem solving, respectively. These findings demonstrate that the ontogenetic stage during which neurons are generated is crucial for their function within the memory network.
authors: Inserm U862, 33077, Bordeaux, France, sophie.tronel@inserm.fr.
authors: Sophie
authors: S
authors: Tronel
authors: Valérie
authors: V
authors: Lemaire
authors: Vanessa
authors: V
authors: Charrier
authors: Marie-Françoise
authors: MF
authors: Montaron
authors: Djoher Nora
authors: DN
authors: Abrous
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology*; D051766:Early Growth Response Protein 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D055495:Neurogenesis; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D065852:Spatial Memory / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D051766:Early Growth Response Protein 1; C486110:Egr1 protein, rat; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos