Nature and fate of proliferative cells in the hippocampal dentate gyrus during the life span of the rhesus monkey

By M.F Eckenhoff, P. Rakić. 1988

The nature of proliferative cells in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampal region and the fate of their progeny was analyzed by 3H- thymidine (3H-TdR) autoradiography combined with immunocytochemistry at the light and electron microscopic levels in 18 rhesus monkeys ranging in age from late gestation to 17 years. Our analysis indicates that, during the last quarter of gestation and the first 3 postnatal months, the SGZ produces both glial and neuronal cells. These 2 major classes of cells originate from the 2 precursor lines and, following their mitotic division, migrate to the granular layer. During the juvenile period (4–6 months of age), neuronal production tapers off and most postmitotic cells remaining within the SGZ differentiate into glial elements. In postpubertal animals (3 years and older), the 3H-TdR- labeled cells in the dentate gyrus belong to several non-neuronal classes. The largest group was immunoreactive to the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) at both the light and electron microscopic levels, indicating their astrocytic nature. The remaining 3H-TdR- labeled, GFAP-negative cells had ultra-structural characteristics of either microglia, oligodendroglia, or their progenitory stem cells. Therefore, there is a continuing addition and/or turnover of the glial cells in the dentate gyrus of sexually mature monkeys, but, in contrast to the massive neurogenesis reported in adult rodents, the production of new neurons could not be detected after puberty. The significance of a stable population of neurons in the hippocampal formation of mature primates is discussed in relation to its possible function in memory.

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Citations in the corpus

Human hippocampal neurogenesis drops sharply in children to undetectable levels in adults (2018, neutral): “We found that neurogenesis continues postnatally in macaques, but like humans, this process declined in juveniles and adults, consistent with previous 3 H-thymidine-and BrdU-studies 2,21,31 .”
Increased Neurogenesis in the Dentate Gyrus After Transient Global Ischemia in Gerbils (1998, background): “…of increased dentate neurogenesis after global ischemia Neurogenesis has been described in the brains of several adult mammals, including rats and monkeys (Altman and Das, 1967; Bayer et al., 1982; Eckenhoff and Rakic, 1988; Cameron et al., 1993, 1995; Kuhn et al., 1996; Gould et al., 1997).”
Dentate Granule Cell Neurogenesis Is Increased by Seizures and Contributes to Aberrant Network Reorganization in the Adult Rat Hippocampus (1997, background): “Among the principal neuronal populations within the hippocampal formation, the dentate granule cells have the unusual property of prolonged postnatal neurogenesis (Altman and Das, 1965, 1967; Gueneau et al., 1982; Eckenhoff and Rakic, 1988) that persists into adulthood in the rodent (Kaplan and Hind”