Editor's Summary

21 February 2008

Neural stem cells in learning

The production of new neurons occurs in the adult brain, and appears to be influenced by external stimuli such as learning, exercise and stress. But it is not clear how the process is regulated or whether it is important for brain function. New work in knockout mice lacking the orphan nuclear receptor TLX, which is expressed in neural stem cells, suggests that adult neurogenesis plays a pivotal role in learning and memory. The mice had reduced stem-cell proliferation, and a marked decrease in spatial learning. But since other behaviours such as fear conditioning were unaffected, the new neurons appear to have a selective contribution to brain functions.

Letter: A role for adult TLX-positive neural stem cells in learning and behaviour

Chun-Li Zhang, Yuhua Zou, Weimin He, Fred H. Gage & Ronald M. Evans

doi:10.1038/nature06562

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