Dataset Information

Running rewires the neuronal network of adult-born dentate granule cells.

ABSTRACT: Exercise improves cognition in humans and animals. Running increases neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, a brain area important for learning and memory. It is unclear how running modifies the circuitry of new dentate gyrus neurons to support their role in memory function. Here we combine retroviral labeling with rabies virus mediated trans-synaptic retrograde tracing to define and quantify new neuron afferent inputs in young adult male C57Bl/6 mice, housed with or without a running wheel for one month. Exercise resulted in a shift in new neuron networks that may promote sparse encoding and pattern separation. Neurogenesis increased in the dorsal, but not the ventral, dentate gyrus by three-fold, whereas afferent traced cell labeling doubled in number. Regional analysis indicated that running differentially affected specific inputs. Within the hippocampus the ratio of innervation from inhibitory interneurons and glutamatergic mossy cells to new neurons was reduced. Distal traced cells were located in sub-cortical and cortical regions, including perirhinal, entorhinal and sensory cortices. Innervation from entorhinal cortex (EC) was augmented, in proportion to the running-induced enhancement of adult neurogenesis. Within EC afferent input and short-term synaptic plasticity from lateral entorhinal cortex, considered to convey contextual information to the hippocampus was increased. Furthermore, running upregulated innervation from regions important for spatial memory and theta rhythm generation, including caudo-medial entorhinal cortex and subcortical medial septum, supra- and medial mammillary nuclei. Altogether, running may facilitate contextual, spatial and temporal information encoding by increasing adult hippocampal neurogenesis and by reorganization of new neuron circuitry.

SUBMITTER: Vivar C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6003242 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Running rewires the neuronal network of adult-born dentate granule cells.

Vivar Carmen C Peterson Benjamin D BD van Praag Henriette H

NeuroImage 20151114

Exercise improves cognition in humans and animals. Running increases neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, a brain area important for learning and memory. It is unclear how running modifies the circuitry of new dentate gyrus neurons to support their role in memory function. Here we combine retroviral labeling with rabies virus mediated trans-synaptic retrograde tracing to define and quantify new neuron afferent inputs in young adult male C57Bl/6 mice, housed with or without a run ...[more]

PMID: 26589333

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Project description:The continuous addition of new dentate granule cells (DGCs), which is regulated exquisitely by brain activity, renders the hippocampus plastic. However, how neural circuits encode experiences to affect the addition of adult-born neurons remains unknown. Here, we used endoscopic Ca2+ imaging to track the real-time activity of individual DGCs in freely behaving mice. For the first time, we found that active DGCs responded to a novel experience by increasing their Ca2+ event frequency preferentially. This elevated activity, which we found to be associated with object exploration, returned to baseline by 1 h in the same environment, but could be dishabituated via introduction to a novel environment. To transition seamlessly between environments, we next established a freely controllable virtual reality system for unrestrained mice. We again observed increased firing of active neurons in a virtual enriched environment. Interestingly, multiple novel virtual experiences increased the number of newborn neurons accumulatively compared with a single experience. Finally, optogenetic silencing of existing DGCs during novel environmental exploration perturbed experience-induced neuronal addition. Our study shows that the adult brain conveys novel, enriched experiences to increase the addition of adult-born hippocampal neurons by increasing the firing of active DGCs.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Adult brains are constantly reshaping themselves from synapses to circuits as we encounter novel experiences from moment to moment. Importantly, this reshaping includes the addition of newborn hippocampal neurons. However, it remains largely unknown how our circuits encode experience-induced brain activity to govern the addition of new hippocampal neurons. By coupling in vivo Ca2+ imaging of dentate granule neurons with a novel, unrestrained virtual reality system for rodents, we discovered that a new experience increased firing of active dentate granule neurons rapidly and robustly. Exploration in multiple novel virtual environments, compared with a single environment, promoted dentate activation and enhanced the addition of new hippocampal neurons accumulatively. Finally, silencing this activation optogenetically during novel experiences perturbed experience-induced neuronal addition.

Dataset Information

Running rewires the neuronal network of adult-born dentate granule cells.

Publications

Running rewires the neuronal network of adult-born dentate granule cells.

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