Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
Author: AGOSTINA MIRANDA | email: AGOSTINAMIRANDA43@GMAIL.COM
Agostina Miranda 1°, Magalí Herrero 1°, Alejandro F. Schinder 1°, Mariela F. Trinchero 1°
1° Laboratorio de Plasticidad Neuronal, Fundación Instituto Leloir (CONICET)
Non-invasive audiovisual stimulation at gamma frequency (40 Hz) can reduce levels of amyloid beta peptide and improve memory performance in several mouse models of Alzheimers disease. While light and sound stimulation at 40 Hz (gamma flickering) was shown to increase the gamma frequency component of hippocampal oscillations, the mechanisms that transduce these stimuli into cellular and circuit changes remain elusive. Because neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus is particularly sensitive to behavioral stimuli, the effects of gamma flickering might be revealed by analyzing its impact on developing new neurons. Using light and sound pulses at 40 Hz, we studied their impact on the development of neurons born in the dentate gyrus of young adult (2-month-old) and aging mice (8-month-old). Gamma flickering accelerated growth of newly generated neurons in aging but not young mice, resulting in boosted circuit remodeling by neurogenesis. These findings reveal that audiovisual stimuli awaken mechanisms that promote neuronal plasticity not only under pathological conditions, but also in the healthy aging brain.