The dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus is one of two areas of the brain where neurogenesis continues to occur throughout life. New neurons generated at the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the DG integrate play a fundamental role in learning and memory (Zhao et al., 2008). Aberrations in hippocampal neurogenesis have been implicated in epileptic seizures (Jessberger et al., 2007), Alzheimer disease (Tatebayashi et al., 2003), and cognitive defects characteristic of depression (Sahay and Hen, 2007; Mateus-Pinheiro et al., 2013) and schizophrenia (SCZD) (Reif et al., 2006; Tamminga et al., 2010; Walton et al., 2012; Hagihara et al., 2013). Unfortunately, it is difficult to investigate the early events of these central nervous system (CNS) disorders in the human system, and it is not clear whether findings from studies using rodent models will translate across species.
