Local network activity controls neuronal maturation in the adult dentate gyrus

DAVIES-SALA MG; PIATTI VC; MONGIAT LA; TRINCHERO MF; ESPÓSITO MS; SCHINDER AF

Ciudad de Córdoba, Argentina

Congreso; Annual Meeting of the Argentine Society for Research in Neuroscience; 2011

Society for Research in Neuroscience

The adult hippocampus continuously generates new cohorts of immature neurons with increased excitability and plasticity. In this work we show that local network activity regulates the rate of maturation of adult-born neurons along the septo-temporal axis of the hippocampus. Confocal microscopy and patch clamp recordings were combined to assess marker expression, morphological development and functional properties in retrovirally labeled neurons over time. The septal dentate gyrus displayed higher levels of basal network activity and faster rates of newborn neuron maturation than the temporal region. Voluntary exercise enhanced network activity only in the temporal region and, in turn, accelerated neuronal development. The role of electrical activity was further supported by the observation that neurons exhibited a delayed maturation when their intrinsic electrical activity was reduced by the cell-autonomous overexpression of Kir2.1. Finally, intrinsic neuronal activity promoted long-term survival of new granule cells. Our findings reveal a novel type of activity-dependent plasticity acting on neuronal maturation, functional integration and survival of adult-born hippocampal neurons.