Neurogenesis in the adult olfactory bulb

Neurogenesis is the process by which cells divide, migrate, and subsequently differentiate into a neuronal phenotype. Significant rates of neurogenesis persist into adulthood in two brain regions, the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus and the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles. Cells of the subventricular zone divide and migrate via the rostral migratory stream to the olfactory bulb where they differentiate into granule and periglomerular cells. With the discovery of large-scale neurogenesis in the adult brain, there have been significant efforts to identify the mechanisms that control this process as well as the role of these cells in neuronal functioning. Although many questions remain unanswered, new insights appear daily about adult neurogenesis, regulatory mechanisms, and the fates of the progeny. In this review we highlight the main studies investigating factors that regulate neurogenesis in the subventricular zone, neuronal migration to the olfactory bulb, neuronal integration into the existing bulbar network and shortly discuss the functional meaning of this process.