Tag mutant_mice [3 articles]

Abstract

Forming distinct representations of multiple contexts, places, and episodes is a crucial function of the hippocampus. The dentate gyrus subregion has been suggested to fulfill this role. We have tested this hypothesis by generating and analyzing a mouse strain that lacks the gene encoding the essential subunit of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor NR1, specifically in dentate gyrus granule cells. The mutant mice performed normally in contextual fear conditioning, but were impaired in the ability to distinguish two similar contexts. A significant ...

Abstract

The highly laminated structures of the hippocampal formation provide an ideal location for the assessment of the effects of mutant genes on the development of the central nervous system. Presently seven different mutations and one genetic variant (NZB/BINJ) are known to affect the developing hippocampal formation. Each of them affects neuronal migration and/or cell proliferation in a different constellation of cell types and produces a distinct pattern of reorganization. The fact that different mutations, which map to different chromosomal locations, can ...

Abstract

Neural transplantation has been a long-standing goal for the treatment of neurological injury and disease. The recent discovery of persistent pools of neural stem cells within the adult mammalian brain has reignited interest in transplant therapeutics. Since neural stem cells are self-renewing, it may be possible to culture and expand neural stem cells and their progenitor cell progeny to sufficient numbers for use in autologous, self-repair strategies. Such approaches will require optimized cultivation protocols, as well as extensive testing of candidate ...