Support is requested for a Keystone Symposia meeting entitled Adult Neurogenesis, organized by Jonas Fris?n and Fred H. Gage. The meeting will be held in Stockholm, Sweden from May 12-17, 2014. The realization that new neurons are generated in the adult human brain has fueled hope for the development of novel therapies in which lost neurons may be replaced. Many neurological diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases and stroke, are characterized by neuronal loss. Some of the spontaneous functional recovery that normally is seen after stroke may be due to the increased neurogenesis observed in stroke patients. However, even if there may be some neuronal replacement in some pathology, it is clearly insufficient to promote full recovery, and it is important to explore whether it may be possible to promote such endogenous regenerative mechanisms in neurological diseases. Adult-born neurons confer a special type of plasticity to neuronal circuitry, and alterations of adult neurogenesis have also been implicated in, for example, psychiatric disease. The generation of new neurons is subject to regulation by many factors, and increasing understanding of these processes is necessary for the development of strategies to promote neuronal replacement from endogenous stem cells. This meeting will address all of these issues by discussing the origin of new neurons, their function, alterations of adult neurogenesis in disease, and their potential therapeutic modulation.
Adult neurogenesis - the generation of new neurons in the adult human brain - is an essential process for complex brain functions necessary for adaptation to new environments. In recent years there has been an enormous increase in interest in this topic and the field is now at the point where we can and need to address whether new discoveries in this area can be translated into treatments for psychiatric and neurological diseases. The Keystone Symposia meeting on Adult Neurogenesis will provide an important forum for basic scientists and clinicians to explore topics such as the origin of new neurons, their function, alterations of adult neurogenesis in disease, and potential therapeutic modulation.
