Cited by 557Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanismsStress Responses and CortisolMemory and Neural Mechanisms

Increasing Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis is Sufficient to Reduce Anxiety and Depression-Like Behaviors

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Hill, Alexis S, Sahay, Amar, Hen, René·2015·Neuropsychopharmacology

Abstract

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is increased by antidepressants, and is required for some of their behavioral effects. However, it remains unclear whether expanding the population of adult-born neurons is sufficient to affect anxiety and depression-related behavior. Here, we use an inducible transgenic mouse model in which the pro-apoptotic gene Bax is deleted from neural stem cells and their progeny in the adult brain, and thereby increases adult neurogenesis. We find no effects on baseline anxiety and depression-related behavior; however, we find that increasing adult neurogenesis is sufficient to reduce anxiety and depression-related behaviors in mice treated chronically with corticosterone (CORT), a mouse model of stress. Thus, neurogenesis differentially affects behavior under baseline conditions and in a model of chronic stress. Moreover, we find no effect of increased adult hippocampal neurogenesis on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulation, either at baseline or following chronic CORT administration, suggesting that increasing adult hippocampal neurogenesis can affect anxiety and depression-related behavior through a mechanism independent of the HPA axis. The use of future techniques to specifically inhibit BAX in the hippocampus could be used to augment adult neurogenesis, and may therefore represent a novel strategy to promote antidepressant-like behavioral effects.

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  • A few studies provide evidence that absence of neurogenesis elicits depressive-like symptoms in rodents, but most studies find that absent neurogenesis is not sufficient to induce a depressive phenotype, although it is required in mice for the behavioral effects of antidepressants.

    “A few studies provide evidence that the absence of neurogenesis elicits depressive like symptoms in rodents123, 124, but most studies find that absent neurogenesis is not sufficient to induce a depressive phenotype125 although it is required in mice for the behavioral effects of antidepressants118, 126.”
  • 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 Hill et al., 2015

  • Adult hippocampal neurogenesis has been implicated in some anxiety- and depression-related behaviors.

    “Adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus has been implicated in some anxiety- and depression-related behaviors (60; 61).”

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Authors
Hill, A. S., Sahay, A., & Hen, R.
Affiliations
  • Columbia University (US)
  • Harvard University (US)
  • New York State Psychiatric Institute (US)
Corresponding author
  • Sahay, Amar
  • Hen, René
Venue
Neuropsychopharmacology
Published
2015-04-02
Volume
40
Issue
10
Pages
2368-2378
ISSN
  • 0893-133X (ISSN-L)
  • 1740-634X
OpenAlex
W2029819292
Cited by
557
References
48
Citations by year
2026: 25 · 2025: 38 · 2024: 55 · 2023: 59 · 2022: 68 · 2021: 63 · 2020: 69 · 2019: 52 · 2018: 37 · 2017: 45 · 2016: 35 · 2015: 11
FWCI
17.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Neuropsychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Aging (R01AG043688)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R00MH086615, R37MH068542, R01MH104175)
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, anxiety-like behavior, depression-like behavior, neural stem cells, chronic corticosterone, chronic stress, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, antidepressant mechanism, transgenic mouse model
MeSH terms
Doublecortin Domain Proteins, Animals, Anxiety, Bromodeoxyuridine, Corticosterone, Depression, Disease Models, Animal, Exploratory Behavior, Hippocampus, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Transgenic, Microtubule-Associated Proteins, Neuropeptides, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Tamoxifen, bcl-2-Associated X Protein, Mice, Neurogenesis

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