title: How to make a hippocampal dentate gyrus granule neuron.
abstract: Granule neurons in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) receive their primary inputs from the cortex and are known to be continuously generated throughout adult life. Ongoing integration of newborn neurons into the existing hippocampal neural circuitry provides enhanced neuroplasticity, which plays a crucial role in learning and memory; deficits in this process have been associated with cognitive decline under neuropathological conditions. In this Primer, we summarize the developmental principles that regulate the process of DG neurogenesis and discuss recent advances in harnessing these developmental cues to generate DG granule neurons from human pluripotent stem cells.
authors.affiliation: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
authors.forename: Diana X
authors.initials: DX
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
authors.forename: Maria C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Marchetto
authors.affiliation: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA gage@salk.edu.
authors.forename: Fred H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Gage
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000502:physiology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D051379:Mice; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Dentate gyrus; Granule neurons; Hippocampal neurogenesis; Stem cells