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A retroviral vector system based on the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was developed that, in contrast to a murine leukemia virus-based counterpart, transduced heterologous sequences into HeLa cells and rat fibroblasts blocked in the cell cycle, as well as into human primary macrophages. Additionally, the HIV vector could mediate stable in vivo gene transfer into terminally differentiated neurons. The ability of HIV-based viral vectors to deliver genes in vivo into nondividing cells could increase the applicability of retroviral vectors in human gene therapy.

Neural stem cells exist not only in the developing mammalian nervous system but also in the adult nervous system of all mammalian organisms, including humans. Neural stem cells can also be derived from more primitive embryonic stem cells. The location of the adult stem cells and the brain regions to which their progeny migrate in order to differentiate remain unresolved, although the number of viable locations is limited in the adult. The mechanisms that regulate endogenous stem cells are poorly understood. Potential uses of stem cells in repair include transplantation to repair missing cells and the activation of endogenous cells to provide "self-repair. " Before the full potential of neural stem cells can be realized, we need to learn what controls their proliferation, as well as the various pathways of differentiation available to their daughter cells.

Exposure to an enriched environment increases neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of adult rodents. Environmental enrichment, however, typically consists of many components, such as expanded learning opportunities, increased social interaction, more physical activity and larger housing. We attempted to separate components by assigning adult mice to various conditions: water-maze learning (learner), swim-time-yoked control (swimmer), voluntary wheel running (runner), and enriched (enriched) and standard housing (control) groups. Neither maze training nor yoked swimming had any effect on bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-positive cell number. However, running doubled the number of surviving newborn cells, in amounts similar to enrichment conditions. Our findings demonstrate that voluntary exercise is sufficient for enhanced neurogenesis in the adult mouse dentate gyrus.

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Inflammation is associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and multiple sclerosis. In this Review, we discuss inducers, sensors, transducers, and effectors of neuroinflammation that contribute to neuronal dysfunction and death. Although inducers of inflammation may be generated in a disease-specific manner, there is evidence for a remarkable convergence in the mechanisms responsible for the sensing, transduction, and amplification of inflammatory processes that result in the production of neurotoxic mediators. A major unanswered question is whether pharmacological inhibition of inflammation pathways will be able to safely reverse or slow the course of disease.

Running increases neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, a brain structure that is important for memory function. Consequently, spatial learning and long-term potentiation (LTP) were tested in groups of mice housed either with a running wheel (runners) or under standard conditions (controls). Mice were injected with bromodeoxyuridine to label dividing cells and trained in the Morris water maze. LTP was studied in the dentate gyrus and area CA1 in hippocampal slices from these mice. Running improved water maze performance, increased bromodeoxyuridine-positive cell numbers, and selectively enhanced dentate gyrus LTP. Our results indicate that physical activity can regulate hippocampal neurogenesis, synaptic plasticity, and learning. N ew neurons are added continuously to certain areas of the adult brain, such as the hippocampus and olfactory bulb (1, 2). The functional significance of new hippocampal cells is not clear. In birds, food storage and retrieval experience correlate with changes in hippocampal size and neurogenesis (3). In mice, neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus increases with exposure to an enriched environment, and it is associated with improved learning (4). Similarly, voluntary physical activity in a running wheel enhances the number of new hippocampal cells (5). Although it is not known whether running also affects learning, it has been shown that physical activity facilitates recovery from injury (6) and improves cognitive function (7). Furthermore, trophic factors, associated with progenitor cell survival and differentiation (8), alterations in synaptic strength (9), long-term potentiation (LTP) (10), and memory function (11), are elevated after exercise (12, 13). At the cellular level, wheel running enhances the firing rate of hippocampal cells in a manner that correlates with running velocity (14). Thus, exercise may increase synaptic plasticity and learning, as well as neurogenesis. We designed the following experiments to test this hypothesis. Materials and MethodsSubjects. Thirty-four female C57BL͞6 mice, 3 months old (The Jackson Laboratory) were divided into two groups of 17, the controls and the runners. The runners had free access to a running wheel equipped with an electronic counter. During the first 10 days animals received one 10-mg͞ml intraperitoneal injection of 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU; Sigma), dissolved in 0.9% NaCl, filtered sterile at 0.2 m, at 50 g͞g of body weight per day to label dividing cells.Spatial Learning. The mice were trained on a Morris water maze (15) with either two or four trials per day for 6 days. The platform was hidden 1 cm below the surface of water; it was made opaque with white nontoxic paint. The starting points were changed every day. Each trial lasted either until the mouse had found the platform or for a maximum of 40 s. At the end of each trial, the mice were allowed to rest on the platform for 10 s. The time to reach the platform (latency), the length of swim path, and the swim speed were recorded semi-automatically by a video trackin...

There is extensive evidence indicating that new neurons are generated in the dentate gyrus of the adult mammalian hippocampus, a region of the brain that is important for learning and memory. However, it is not known whether these new neurons become functional, as the methods used to study adult neurogenesis are limited to fixed tissue. We use here a retroviral vector expressing green fluorescent protein that only labels dividing cells, and that can be visualized in live hippocampal slices. We report that newly generated cells in the adult mouse hippocampus have neuronal morphology and can display passive membrane properties, action potentials and functional synaptic inputs similar to those found in mature dentate granule cells. Our findings demonstrate that newly generated cells mature into functional neurons in the adult mammalian brain.