Functional importance of adult hippocampal neurogenesis

The hippocampus is crucial for memory formation and spatial processing. It is no surprise that the discovery of postnatal neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus has inspired an extensive amount of research on its functional contribution to the adult brain. Correlational evidence reveals that neurogenesis is a dynamic process subject to modulation by a variety of factors, such as environmental enrichment and learning. Electrophysiological experiments show that young neurons constitute a distinct neuronal population within the dentate gyrus. Unlike mature neurons, they are not inhibited by gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA) and require less stimulation to induce long-term potentiation. Furthermore, there is now strong evidence that new neurons can be functionally integrated into memory networks. However, significant debate still persists about the functional necessity of neurogenesis. To resolve this issue, several techniques have been used to ablate neurogenesis, such as X-ray irradiation, administration of anti-proliferative drugs and genetic knockdowns. Unfortunately, these methods are not equally effective, are invasive and can cause adverse physiological effects. This article offers an overview of the functional significance of hippocampal neurogenesis and presents a critical review of current research methodology. Methods of improving traditional techniques of neurogenesis ablation are also explored.