Bonfanti Luca
Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), University of Turin, Regione Gonzole 10, 10043 Turin, Italy.
ISRN Neurosci. 2013 Feb 6;2013:354136. doi: 10.1155/2013/354136. eCollection 2013.
During the last two decades basic research in neuroscience has remarkably expanded due to the discovery of neural stem cells (NSCs) and adult neurogenesis in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). The existence of such unexpected plasticity triggered hopes for alternative approaches to brain repair, yet deeper investigation showed that constitutive mammalian neurogenesis is restricted to two small "neurogenic sites" hosting NSCs as remnants of embryonic germinal layers and subserving homeostatic roles in specific neural systems. The fact that in other classes of vertebrates adult neurogenesis is widespread in the CNS and useful for brain repair sometimes creates misunderstandings about the real reparative potential in mammals. Nevertheless, in the mammalian CNS parenchyma, which is commonly considered as "nonneurogenic," some processes of gliogenesis and, to a lesser extent, neurogenesis also occur. This "parenchymal" cell genesis is highly heterogeneous as to the position, identity, and fate of the progenitors. In addition, even the regional outcomes are different. In this paper the heterogeneity of mammalian parenchymal neurogliogenesis will be addressed, also discussing the most common pitfalls and misunderstandings of this growing and promising research field.
在过去二十年中，由于在哺乳动物中枢神经系统（CNS）中发现了神经干细胞（NSCs）和成年神经发生，神经科学的基础研究得到了显著扩展。这种意外可塑性的存在引发了人们对脑修复替代方法的希望，但进一步研究表明，哺乳动物的组成性神经发生仅限于两个小的“神经发生位点”，这些位点容纳神经干细胞，作为胚胎生发层的残余物，并在特定神经系统中发挥稳态作用。在其他脊椎动物类别中，成年神经发生在中枢神经系统中广泛存在且对脑修复有用，这一事实有时会导致人们对哺乳动物真正的修复潜力产生误解。然而，在通常被认为是“非神经发生”的哺乳动物中枢神经系统实质中，也会发生一些胶质细胞生成过程，以及程度较轻的神经发生过程。这种“实质”细胞生成在祖细胞的位置、身份和命运方面具有高度异质性。此外，即使区域结果也有所不同。本文将探讨哺乳动物实质神经胶质生成的异质性，同时也讨论这个不断发展且前景广阔的研究领域中最常见的陷阱和误解。
