A functional model of adult dentate gyrus neurogenesis

eLife

Wulfram Gerstner¹  Olivia Gozel² 

[1] School of Life Sciences and School of Computer and Communication Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland;School of Life Sciences and School of Computer and Communication Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland;Departments of Neurobiology and Statistics, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States;Grossman Center for Quantitative Biology and Human Behavior, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States;

关键词: adult neurogenesis;    dentate gyrus;    unsupervised learning;    synaptic plasticity;    competitive network;    pattern separation;    None;   

DOI  :  10.7554/eLife.66463

来源: eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd

【 摘 要 】

In adult dentate gyrus neurogenesis, the link between maturation of newborn neurons and their function, such as behavioral pattern separation, has remained puzzling. By analyzing a theoretical model, we show that the switch from excitation to inhibition of the GABAergic input onto maturing newborn cells is crucial for their proper functional integration. When the GABAergic input is excitatory, cooperativity drives the growth of synapses such that newborn cells become sensitive to stimuli similar to those that activate mature cells. When GABAergic input switches to inhibitory, competition pushes the configuration of synapses onto newborn cells toward stimuli that are different from previously stored ones. This enables the maturing newborn cells to code for concepts that are novel, yet similar to familiar ones. Our theory of newborn cell maturation explains both how adult-born dentate granule cells integrate into the preexisting network and why they promote separation of similar but not distinct patterns.

【 授权许可】

CC BY