Adult hippocampal neurogenesis has been implicated in several brain functions, including learning and memory processes. It also plays an important role in the aetiology of anxiety disorders, depression and age-related deficits. The endogenous stem cell pool is also known to hold great potential for ameliorating the diseased or aged brain. It has been shown that certain brain activities lead to an adjustment of adult neurogenesis, which can further be controlled by the interplay between inhibitory and excitatory processes. The roles of the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells and progenitor cells, as well as in the control of network activity of hippocampal stem cells, have been extensively investigated in recent decades. This review highlights the general functions of GABAergic signalling and provides an exciting insight into the diverse functions of GABA in adult hippocampal stem cell biology.
Keywords: Adult neurogenesis; GABA; GABAAR; GABABR; Hippocampal stem cell; Hippocampus; Proliferation; Stem cell quiescence.