Ming Guo-li, Song Hongjun
Institute for Cell Engineering, Departments of Neurology and Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Annu Rev Neurosci. 2005;28:223-50. doi: 10.1146/annurev.neuro.28.051804.101459.
Forty years since the initial discovery of neurogenesis in the postnatal rat hippocampus, investigators have now firmly established that active neurogenesis from neural progenitors continues throughout life in discrete regions of the central nervous systems (CNS) of all mammals, including humans. Significant progress has been made over the past few years in understanding the developmental process and regulation of adult neurogenesis, including proliferation, fate specification, neuronal maturation, targeting, and synaptic integration of the newborn neurons. The function of this evolutionarily conserved phenomenon, however, remains elusive in mammals. Adult neurogenesis represents a striking example of structural plasticity in the mature CNS environment. Advances in our understanding of adult neurogenesis will not only shed light on the basic principles of adult plasticity, but also may lead to strategies for cell replacement therapy after injury or degenerative neurological diseases.
自首次在出生后大鼠海马体中发现神经发生现象至今已有四十年，如今研究人员已确凿证实，包括人类在内的所有哺乳动物的中枢神经系统（CNS）特定区域内，神经祖细胞的活跃神经发生会持续终生。在过去几年里，我们在理解成体神经发生的发育过程及调控方面取得了重大进展，这包括新生神经元的增殖、命运决定、神经元成熟、靶向定位以及突触整合。然而，这种在进化上保守的现象在哺乳动物中的功能仍不明晰。成体神经发生是成熟中枢神经系统环境中结构可塑性的一个显著例子。我们对成体神经发生理解的进展不仅将阐明成体可塑性的基本原理，还可能为损伤或退行性神经疾病后的细胞替代疗法带来策略。
