GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, 1 avenue de l'Hôpital, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.
Eur J Neurosci. 2011 Sep;34(6):963-77. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2011.07823.x.
The study of adult neurogenesis has had an explosion of fruitful growth. Yet numerous uncertainties and challenges persist. Our review begins with a survey of species that show evidence of adult neurogenesis. We then discuss how neurogenesis varies across brain regions and point out that regional specializations can indicate functional adaptations. Lifespan and aging are key life-history traits. Whereas 'adult neurogenesis' is the common term in the literature, it does not reflect the reality of neurogenesis being primarily a 'juvenile' phenomenon. We discuss the sharp decline with age as a universal trait of neurogenesis with inevitable functional consequences. Finally, the main body of the review focuses on the function of neurogenesis in birds and mammals. Selected examples illustrate how our understanding of avian and mammalian neurogenesis can complement each other. It is clear that although the two phyla have some common features, the function of adult neurogenesis may not be similar between them and filling the gaps will help us understand neurogenesis as an evolutionarily conserved trait to meet particular ecological pressures.
成体神经发生的研究取得了丰硕的成果。然而，仍存在许多不确定性和挑战。我们的综述首先调查了具有成体神经发生证据的物种。然后，我们讨论了神经发生如何在不同脑区变化，并指出区域特化可以表明功能适应。寿命和衰老都是关键的生活史特征。虽然“成体神经发生”是文献中的常用术语，但它并不能反映神经发生主要是“幼年”现象的现实。我们讨论了随着年龄的增长而急剧下降的普遍特征，这是神经发生不可避免的功能后果。最后，综述的主要部分集中在鸟类和哺乳动物的神经发生功能上。选择的例子说明了我们对鸟类和哺乳动物神经发生的理解如何相互补充。很明显，尽管这两个门具有一些共同的特征，但成体神经发生的功能在它们之间可能并不相似，填补这些空白将有助于我们理解神经发生作为一种进化上保守的特征，以应对特定的生态压力。
