%0 Journal Article
%A Parra Gonzalo, Juan De La
%A Cuartero Desviat, María Isabel
%A Pérez Ruiz, Alberto
%A García Culebras, Alicia
%A Martín Herranz, Ricardo
%A Sánchez-Prieto Borja, José
%A García Segura, Juan Manuel
%A Lizasoaín Hernández, Ignacio
%A Moro Sánchez, María Ángeles
%T AhR Deletion Promotes Aberrant Morphogenesis and Synaptic Activity of Adult-Generated Granule Neurons and Impairs Hippocampus-Dependent Memory
%D 2018
%@ 2373-2822
%U https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/94497
%X Newborn granule cells are continuously produced in the subgranular zone of dentate gyrus throughout life. Once these cells mature, they integrate into pre-existing circuits modulating hippocampus-dependent memory. Subsequently, mechanisms controlling generation and maturation of newborn cells are essential for proper hippocampal function. Therefore, we have studied the role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated bHLH-PAS transcription factor, in hippocampus-dependent memory and granule neuronal morphology and function using genetic loss-of-function approaches based on constitutive and inducible-nestin AhR–/– mice. The results presented here show that the impaired hippocampus-dependent memory in AhR absence is not due to its effects on neurogenesis but to aberrant dendritic arborization and an increased spine density, albeit with a lower number of mature mushrooms spines in newborn granule cells, a finding that is associated with an immature electrophysiological phenotype. Together, our data strongly suggest that AhR plays a pivotal role in the regulation of hippocampal function, by controlling hippocampal granule neuron morphology and synaptic maturation.
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