Voluntary running rescues the defective hippocampal neurogenesis and behaviour observed in lipocalin 2-null mice

• Autor(a) principal: Ferreira, Ana Catarina
• Data de Publicação: 2019
• Outros Autores: Novais, Ashley Cruz, Sousa, Nuno, Sousa, João Carlos, Marques, Fernanda
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/62333
• topic: Science & Technology

The continuous generation of new neurons in the adult mammalian hippocampus is a form of neural plasticity that modulates learning and memory functions, and also emotion (anxiety and depression). Among the factors known to modulate adult hippocampal neurogenesis and brain function, lipocalin-2 (LCN2) was recently described as a key regulator of neural stem cells (NSCs) proliferation and commitment, with impact on several dimensions of behaviour. Herein, we evaluated whether voluntary running, a well-known regulator of cell genesis, rescue the deficient adult hippocampal neurogenesis observed in mice lacking LCN2. We observed that running, by counteracting oxidative stress in NSCs, reverses LCN2-null mice defective hippocampal neurogenesis, as it promotes NSCs cell cycle progression and maturation, resulting in a partial reduction in anxiety and improved contextual behaviour. Together, these findings demonstrate that running is a positive modulator of adult hippocampal neurogenesis and behaviour in mice lacking LCN2, by impacting on the antioxidant kinetics of NSCs.