Evaluating the regulation and function of adult mouse hippocampal neurogenesis induced from running
type: CreativeWork
description: Exercise is a potent natural stimulator of adult mammalian hippocampal neurogenesis. Relatively little is known about how exercise stimulates neuron formation in the hippocampus, and even less is known about the possible functions of new neurons. Therefore, factors regulating the survival and the potential functions of new hippocampal granule neurons generated from running were studied in adult mice. Chapter 1 examined the formation and activation of adult mouse granule cells over the course of access to running wheels. Granule cell activity (measured by c-Fos immunoreactivity) and net neurogenesis remained elevated at a relatively constant level over 50 days of running, despite observing a gradual increase in running distance over the first 20 days of wheel access. These results in conjunction with recent literature suggest that granule cell activity may be involved in regulating the stable, but elevated levels of neurogenesis, relative to animals housed without wheels, over the course of running. Chapter 2 investigated whether vasculature formation in the granule cell layer adapts to support the elevated level of granule cell activation and the constant addition of the new neurons over several days of running in adult mice. Results showed that vasculature density increased in the granule cell layer, but not across the entire hippocampus of chronically running mice. These data suggest that increased blood vessel density from running is specific to the granule cell layer within the hippocampus. An additional aim of chapter 2 was to test the hypothesis that new neurons from running are recruited into neural activity (measured by c-Fos immunoreactivity) displayed in the granule cell layer from running. The results showed that new neurons preferentially display c-Fos over mostly pre-existing neurons during running, suggesting that one potential function of new neurons is to process information about running behavior itself. Chapter 3 examined whether any form of physic…
abstract: Exercise is a potent natural stimulator of adult mammalian hippocampal neurogenesis. Relatively little is known about how exercise stimulates neuron formation in the hippocampus, and even less is known about the possible functions of new neurons. Therefore, factors regulating the survival and the potential functions of new hippocampal granule neurons generated from running were studied in adult mice. Chapter 1 examined the formation and activation of adult mouse granule cells over the course of access to running wheels. Granule cell activity (measured by c-Fos immunoreactivity) and net neurogenesis remained elevated at a relatively constant level over 50 days of running, despite observing a gradual increase in running distance over the first 20 days of wheel access. These results in conjunction with recent literature suggest that granule cell activity may be involved in regulating the stable, but elevated levels of neurogenesis, relative to animals housed without wheels, over the course of running. Chapter 2 investigated whether vasculature formation in the granule cell layer adapts to support the elevated level of granule cell activation and the constant addition of the new neurons over several days of running in adult mice. Results showed that vasculature density increased in the granule cell layer, but not across the entire hippocampus of chronically running mice. These data suggest that increased blood vessel density from running is specific to the granule cell layer within the hippocampus. An additional aim of chapter 2 was to test the hypothesis that new neurons from running are recruited into neural activity (measured by c-Fos immunoreactivity) displayed in the granule cell layer from running. The results showed that new neurons preferentially display c-Fos over mostly pre-existing neurons during running, suggesting that one potential function of new neurons is to process information about running behavior itself. Chapter 3 examined whether any form of physic…
author: Clark, Peter J.
language: en
keywords: adult mamallian neurogenesis, exercise, hippocampus, mice
date published: 2011-08-25T22:10:09Z
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:25:26Z
provider: University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/2142/26038