| | Principal Investigators
| Heather Cameron, Ph.D. |
 |
|
Dr.
Cameron received her B.S. from Yale University and her
Ph.D. from the Rockefeller University, where she worked
with Bruce McEwen and Elizabeth Gould examining neurogenesis
in the adult rat dentate gyrus. During a postdoctoral
fellowship with Ron McKay at NINDS, she determined the
magnitude of adult neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus and
investigated the effects of stress hormones on neurogenesis
in the aging rat hippocampus. Dr. Cameron joined the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program at NIMH as an
Investigator in 2001. |
| Research Interests |
The dentate gyrus is one of only two brain regions that continue to produce large numbers of new neurons during adulthood. The goal of our research is to understand the function of adult neurogenesis by studying the regulation of granule cell development, the activation of the new neurons, and the behavioral consequences of inhibiting neurogenesis.
One focus of our work is understanding the activation of granule cells at different ages. New granule cells mature over several weeks, but it is unclear whether they become functional while they are immature, and both highly excitable and highly plastic, or whether they contribute to hippocampal function only after they mature and have properties more like the rest of the granule cell population. This issue is important, because it is related to the larger question of whether granule cells continue to be generated in order to increase the size of the granule cell population or whether the young neurons have a different function than the mature granule cells. If young granule cells do have a unique function, what is the time window during which they perform this function?
Another aspect of our work involves exploring the effects of inhibiting adult neurogenesis on behavior. We have found that mice lacking adult neurogenesis show heightened responses to psychosocial stress; it takes longer for corticosteroid levels to return to baseline levels after stress in these mice. In addition, they show increased depressive-like behavior in stressful tests or after being stressed. We are interested in learning more about how the new neurons normally buffer against depressive-like behavior. In addition, we are investigating how the stress buffering property of new neurons relates to a function for adult neurogenesis in learning and memory.
|
| Representative Selected Recent Publications: |
- Snyder JS, Soumier A, Brewer M, Pickel J, Cameron HA..
Adult hippocampal neurogenesis buffers stress responses and depressive behaviour. Nature,
Aug 3;476(7361):458-61, 2011. (View)
- Snyder J
S, Choe J, Clifford M, Jeurling S, Hurley P,
Brown A, Kamhi J, Cameron H A. Adult-born
hippocampal neurons are more numerous, faster
maturing and more involved in behavior in rats
than in mice. J Neurosci, 29,
14484-14495, 2009. (View)
- Snyder J S, Radik R, Wojtowicz
J M, Cameron H A. Septo-temporal gradients of neurogenesis
and activity in 13-month-old rats, Neurobiol
Aging. Neurobiol
Aging, Jun;32(6):1149-56, 2011. (View)
- Snyder J S, Radik R, Wojtowicz
J M, Cameron H A. Anatomical gradients of adult neurogenesis
and activity: young neurons in the ventral dentate
gyrus are activated by water maze training. Hippocampus,
19, 360-370, 2009. (View)
- Snyder J S, Glover L, Sanzone
K M, Kamhi J F, Cameron H A.
The effects of exercise and stress on the survival
and maturation of adult-generated granule cells. Hippocampus,
19: 360-370, 2009. (View)
- Olariu A, Cleaver K M, Cameron
H A. Decreased neurogenesis in aged rats results from
loss of granule cell precursors without lengthening
of the cell cycle. J Comp Neurol, ,501, 659-667,
2007. (View)
|
Address:
|
Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, NIMH
Porter Neuroscience Research Center
Building 35, Room 3C-915
35 Lincoln Drive, MSC 3718
Bethesda, MD 20892-3718
Telephone: (office), (301) 480-4564 (fax)
|
| Phone: |
301-496-3814 |
| Email Dr. Cameron |
| Fax: |
301-480-4564 |
| Lab Web Site: |
http://neuroscience.nih.gov/Lab.asp?Org_ID=411 |
| |
|
|
|
|
