Neurodegeneration and Neurogenesis: Focus on Alzheimers Disease

Title: Neurodegeneration and Neurogenesis: Focus on Alzheimers Disease

Volume: 3 Issue: 1

Author(s): David A. Greenberg and Kunlin Jin

Affiliation:

Keywords: Neurodegeneration, neurogenesis, neuronal precursor cells, stem cells, hippocampus, dentate gyrus

Abstract: Neurogenesis, or the production of new neurons from neuronal precursor cells, is a normal phenomenon in the adult brain, and is accentuated by brain injury. Forms of injury associated with increased neurogenesis include both acute (e.g., stroke) and chronic neurodegenerations. Studies on human postmortem material and transgenic mice overexpressing amyloid precursor protein mutations found in familial Alzheimers disease (AD) suggest that AD is associated with enhanced neurogenesis. However, the mechanism responsible for this effect is unknown, as is what influence it may have on the clinical course of murine or human AD. If AD leads to the production of fully functional, mature neurons that can restore brain function, strategies aimed at further increasing endogenous neurogenesis may have therapeutic value.

Cite this article as:

Greenberg A. David and Jin Kunlin, Neurodegeneration and Neurogenesis: Focus on Alzheimers Disease, Current Alzheimer Research 2006; 3 (1) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156720506775697106