Regulation of Adult Neurogenesis by the Hippocampal Cholecystokinin Network

Adult neurogenesis is the process of generating functional neurons from neural stem cells (NSCs) in the adult brain. In humans, this unique form of neuroplasticity is restricted to the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus. Unlike developmental neurogenesis, adult neurogenesis is regulated by local and long distance neuronal circuit activity. However, the identities of specific cell types, neurotransmitters, and receptors that facilitate this regulation remain largely unknown. Studies utilizing animal and cell culture models suggest that the neuropeptide cholecystokinin (CCK) serves as a mitogenic signal for NSCs in the adult brain, but the direct effects of CCK have remained unclear.Bachelor of Scienc