Topic: granule neurons

During embryonic and postnatal development of the dentate gyrus (DG), neural stem cells (NSCs) proliferate, migrate and generate mature granule neurons. Unlike other brain regions, NSCs remain in the adult DG, mostly in a state of deep quiescence, with the ability to re-enter cell cycle and generate new neurons throughout life. The transitions back and forward from a proliferative state to a temporal shallow quiescence or primed state ensure the maintenance of stem cell population. However, it is unclear when and how adult NSCs acquire quiescence sub-states during development. Recently, we hav

Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator that critically modulates cognition. We have shown that acetylcholine activates axonal muscarinic receptors in hippocampal dentate gyrus granule neurons to persistently lower the action potential (AP) threshold and enhance neuronal excitability1. This was due to a sustained increase in T-type Ca2+ channel activity resulting in elevated basal Ca2+ levels which inhibited KV7 channels. The intracellular mechanism coupling axonal muscarinic receptors to T-type Ca2+ channels remains unknown. We investigated this by making electrophysiological r