title: Social regulation of adult neurogenesis: A comparative approach.
abstract: The social environment sculpts the mammalian brain throughout life. Adult neurogenesis, the birth of new neurons in the mature brain, can be up- or down-regulated by various social manipulations. These include social isolation, social conflict, social status, socio-sexual interactions, and parent/offspring interactions. However, socially-mediated changes in neuron production are often species-, sex-, and/or region-specific. In order to reconcile the variability of social effects on neurogenesis, we need to consider species-specific social adaptations and other contextual variables (e.g. age, social status, reproductive status, etc.) that shift the valence of social stimuli. Using a comparative approach to understand how adult-generated neurons in turn influence social behaviors will shed light on how adult neurogenesis contributes to survival and reproduction in diverse species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Canada; Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Canada; Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Canada. Electronic address: melissa.holmes@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Melissa M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Holmes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D012919:Social Behavior; D012931:Social Environment
keywords: Dentate gyrus; Hypothalamus; Neurogenesis; Parental; Psychosocial stress; Sex; Social behavior; Social isolation; Social status; Subventricular zone