Cited by 236Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanismsNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchMemory and Neural Mechanisms

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 207 of the 207 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 169 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Adult Neurogenesis, Glia, and the Extracellular Matrix

Open access
Cope, Elise C., Gould, Elizabeth·2019·Cell Stem Cell

Abstract

In the adult mammalian hippocampus, new neurons arise from stem and progenitor cell division, a process known as adult neurogenesis. Adult-generated neurons are sensitive to experience and may participate in hippocampal functions, including cognition, anxiety/stress regulation, and social behavior. Increasing evidence emphasizes the importance of new neuron connectivity within the hippocampal circuitry for understanding the impact of adult neurogenesis on brain function. In this Review, we discuss how the functional consequences of new neurons arise from the collective interactions of presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons, glial cells, and the extracellular matrix, which together form the “tetrapartite synapse”.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This review argues that adult hippocampal neurogenesis and its functional effects depend on new neuron connectivity within the “tetrapartite synapse,” comprising pre- and postsynaptic neurons, glia, and extracellular matrix. It synthesizes rodent evidence showing that experience and pathology alter new neuron production, integration, and behavior, with glia and ECM as key regulators.

Key findings

  • Adult hippocampal neurogenesis produces dentate gyrus granule cells; as many as 9,000 new granule cells are added daily to the young adult rat dentate gyrus. New neurons receive GABAergic inputs first, then glutamatergic input from hilar mossy cells, then entorhinal cortical input, and strongly resemble developmentally generated granule cells by 4–6 weeks post-mitosis.
  • Adult-born neurons have been linked to hippocampal cognition, anxiety/stress regulation, social behavior, and pattern separation, but direct manipulations often yield inconsistent results; some studies find no effect of reduced neurogenesis, effects only on certain cognitive tests, or even improved cognitive function after ablation.
  • More new neurons are not always beneficial: stroke, seizure, and blunt trauma increase adult neurogenesis yet are associated with reduced cognitive function; inhibiting neurogenesis reduces chronic seizures and seizure-related cognitive decline as well as stroke-induced cognitive decline. Fluoxetine-induced overproduction of new neurons was associated with cognitive decline, increased susceptibility to stress-induced depression, and excessive anxiety.
  • Rewarding experiences such as voluntary exercise, environmental enrichment, and sexual experience enhance adult neurogenesis and hippocampal function, whereas aversive stress, aging, and parenting suppress it. Glia and ECM components—including chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans, reelin, MMP9, tenascin-R, and perineuronal nets—regulate new neuron number, migration, dendritic maturation, synapse formation/elimination, and plasticity; ECM is noted to compose approximately 20% of brain volume.

Methods

  • Narrative review; no primary experimental data or sample. It synthesizes published rodent studies except where otherwise stated.
  • Focuses on adult hippocampal neurogenesis and the tetrapartite synapse, citing evidence on stem/progenitor division, new neuron integration, behavior, glia, ECM, and perineuronal nets; includes Table 1 and Figures 1–4.
  • Main analysis is qualitative synthesis of cited literature; no systematic review, meta-analysis, or new statistical analysis is reported.

Limitations

  • Stated: the extent of adult neurogenesis in humans remains debated, with some studies contradicting positive findings; direct manipulations of adult neurogenesis often produce inconsistent behavioral results.
  • Stated gaps: several areas are relatively uninvestigated, including how enriched environment alters axon connections of adult-generated neurons, effects of sexual experience on stem cells and connectivity, PNNs in adult neurogenesis, MMPs in intact adult neurogenesis, and the extent to which glia influence functional connectivity of new neurons.
  • Evident: as a narrative review relying largely on rodent studies, it cannot establish causality or quantify effect sizes; conclusions depend on the selection and interpretation of cited literature.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.stem.2019.03.023

Cites

207 of 207 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

0 of 169 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

Show all 69 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 46
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 10
55 of 55
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Manipulations used to reduce adult neurogenesis (transgenic, pharmacological, or focal x-irradiation approaches) affect hippocampal function specifically through loss of new neurons rather than through off-target effects.

    “Much of this evidence comes from studies that knockdown or eliminate new neurons in the adult brain using transgenic, pharmacological, or focal x-irradiation approaches.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The connectivity of new neurons in the adult hippocampus is highly relevant to their functional influence.

    “It has become increasingly clear that the connectivity of new neurons in the adult hippocampus is highly relevant to their functional influence.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    All components of the synapse, including glia, the ECM, and the presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons must be considered in an effort to elucidate the diverse effects new neurons have on brain function.

    “All components of the synapse, including glia, the ECM, and the presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons must be considered in an effort to elucidate the diverse effects new neurons have on brain function.”
3 of 3

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Saxe et al. (2006) is cited as finding no cognitive effect, but its listed title reports an impairment

    Minor

    The text places Saxe et al. (2006) among studies finding no effect of reduced neurogenesis on hippocampal cognition. Its reference title instead states that ablation impairs contextual fear conditioning, a test the text itself identifies as hippocampal-dependent cognition.

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Metadata

Authors
Cope, E. C., & Gould, E.
Affiliations
Princeton University (US)
Corresponding author
Gould, Elizabeth
Venue
Cell Stem Cell
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-05
Volume
24
Issue
5
Pages
690-705
ISSN
  • 1875-9777 (ISSN-L)
  • 1934-5909
OpenAlex
W2942783247
Cited by
236
References
205
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 36 · 2024: 48 · 2023: 41 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 33 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 4
FWCI
2.99
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cell stem cell (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institutes of Health (MH117459-01, T32MH065214)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Keywords
adult neurogenesis, hippocampus, glia, extracellular matrix, stem/progenitor cells, hippocampal circuitry, learning and memory, social behavior
MeSH terms
Adult, Animals, Astrocytes, Cell Differentiation, Extracellular Matrix, Hippocampus, Humans, Neurons, Oligodendroglia, Microglia, Neurogenesis, Neural Stem Cells

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