Cited by 1,473Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanismsStress Responses and CortisolMemory and Neural Mechanisms

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis buffers stress responses and depressive behaviour

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Snyder, Jason S., Soumier, Amélie, Brewer, Michelle, Pickel, James, Cameron, Heather A.·2011·Nature

Abstract

Glucocorticoids are released in response to stressful experiences and serve many beneficial homeostatic functions. However, dysregulation of glucocorticoids is associated with cognitive impairments and depressive illness. In the hippocampus, a brain region densely populated with receptors for stress hormones, stress and glucocorticoids strongly inhibit adult neurogenesis. Decreased neurogenesis has been implicated in the pathogenesis of anxiety and depression, but direct evidence for this role is lacking. Here we show that adult-born hippocampal neurons are required for normal expression of the endocrine and behavioural components of the stress response. Using either transgenic or radiation methods to inhibit adult neurogenesis specifically, we find that glucocorticoid levels are slower to recover after moderate stress and are less suppressed by dexamethasone in neurogenesis-deficient mice than intact mice, consistent with a role for the hippocampus in regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Relative to controls, neurogenesis-deficient mice also showed increased food avoidance in a novel environment after acute stress, increased behavioural despair in the forced swim test, and decreased sucrose preference, a measure of anhedonia. These findings identify a small subset of neurons within the dentate gyrus that are critical for hippocampal negative control of the HPA axis and support a direct role for adult neurogenesis in depressive illness.

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  • The relatively small number of new neurons in adult brains of humans and rodents is strongly linked to the pathogenesis and remission of neuropsychiatric disorders.

    “The relatively small number of new neurons in adult brains of humans and rodents is strongly linked to the pathogenesis and remission of neuropsychiatric disorders (38).”
  • Adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus seems to provide resilience to stress-induced anxiety.

    “Adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus seems to provide resilience to stress-induced anxiety (Anacker et al., 2018; Hill et al., 2015; Snyder et al., 2011).”

    From Adult neurogenesis, glia, and the extracellular matrix (2019) · cites this paper as Snyder et al., 2011

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Authors
Snyder, J. S., Soumier, A., Brewer, M., Pickel, J., & Cameron, H. A.
Affiliations
National Institutes of Health (US)
Corresponding author
Cameron, Heather A.
Venue
Nature
Published
2011-08
Volume
476
Issue
7361
Pages
458-461
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W2023343492
Cited by
1,473
References
34
Citations by year
2026: 59 · 2025: 61 · 2024: 87 · 2023: 79 · 2022: 96 · 2021: 109 · 2020: 107 · 2019: 93 · 2018: 87 · 2017: 109 · 2016: 132 · 2015: 123 · 2014: 118 · 2013: 97 · 2012: 95
FWCI
34.57
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • National Institutes of Health (Z01‐MH002784)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (ZIAMH002784)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Developmental Neuroscience › Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Keywords
adult hippocampal neurogenesis, stress response, depression, glucocorticoids, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, dentate gyrus, anhedonia, food avoidance, behavioural despair, dexamethasone
MeSH terms
Animals, Behavior, Animal, Corticosterone, Depression, Dexamethasone, Glucocorticoids, Hippocampus, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Male, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Transgenic, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Receptors, Glucocorticoid, Restraint, Physical, Stress, Physiological, Swimming, Dentate Gyrus, Mice, Neurogenesis

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