A21: Change of redox state as principal switch in the initiation of neuronal development from adult hippocampal precursor cells

Project leader: Prof. Dr. G. Kempermann

In the adult brain, new neurons are generated from resident populations of stem cells (“adult neurogenesis”) and the new neurons contribute to the function of the hippocampus, a key structure involved in learning and memory. A surprisingly large number of factors has been identified that regulate adult neurogenesis. The question thus arises whether there are any shared fundamental mechanisms that presumably would have been conserved through evolution. A key candidate for such switch is the sensitivity to the presence or absence of oxygen. This mechanism is well established in bacteria, which change between an aerobic or anaerobic mode of growth. The changes seen under these conditions can be generalized as changes in “redox state”. Do adult neural stem cells use changes in redox state as key regulatory mechanism?