中国神经再生研究(英文版) ›› 2021, Vol. 21 ›› Issue (5): 1669-1680.doi: 10.4103/NRR.NRR-D-24-01438

• 综述:脑损伤修复保护与再生 •    下一篇

大型哺乳动物大脑结构的可塑性:不仅仅是缩小道路

  

  • 出版日期:2026-05-15 发布日期:2025-08-20

大型哺乳动物大脑结构的可塑性:不仅仅是缩小道路

Marco Ghibaudi1, 2, Alessandro Zanone1 , Luca Bonfanti1, 2, *   

  1. 1 Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Orbassano, Italy;  2 Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
  • Online:2026-05-15 Published:2025-08-20
  • Contact: Luca Bonfanti, DVM, PhD, luca.bonfanti@unito.it.
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by Progetto Trapezio, Compagnia di San Paolo (67935-2021.2174), to LB; Fondazione CRT (Cassa di Risparmio di Torino; RF=2022.0618), to LB; and PRIN2022 (grant 2022LB4X3N), to LB.

摘要: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1469-8898 (Luca Bonfanti)

Abstract: The capacity of the central nervous system for structural plasticity and regeneration is commonly believed to show a decreasing progression from “small and simple” brains to the larger, more complex brains of mammals. However, recent findings revealed that some forms of neural plasticity can show a reverse trend. Although plasticity is a well-preserved, transversal feature across the animal world, a variety of cell populations and mechanisms seem to have evolved to enable structural modifications to take place in widely different brains, likely as adaptations to selective pressures. Increasing evidence now indicates that a trade-off has occurred between regenerative (mostly stem cell–driven) plasticity and developmental (mostly juvenile) remodeling, with the latter primarily aimed not at brain repair but rather at “sculpting” the neural circuits based on experience. In particular, an evolutionary trade-off has occurred between neurogenic processes intended to support the possibility of recruiting new neurons throughout life and the different ways of obtaining new neurons, and between the different brain locations in which plasticity occurs. This review first briefly surveys the different types of plasticity and the complexity of their possible outcomes and then focuses on recent findings showing that the mammalian brain has a stem cell–independent integration of new neurons into pre-existing (mature) neural circuits. This process is still largely unknown but involves neuronal cells that have been blocked in arrested maturation since their embryonic origin (also termed “immature” or “dormant” neurons). These cells can then restart maturation throughout the animal’s lifespan to become functional neurons in brain regions, such as the cerebral cortex and amygdala, that are relevant to high-order cognition and emotions. Unlike stem cell–driven postnatal/adult neurogenesis, which significantly decreases from small-brained, short-living species to large-brained ones, immature neurons are particularly abundant in large-brained, long-living mammals, including humans. The immature neural cell populations hosted in these complex brains are an interesting example of an “enlarged road” in the phylogenetic trend of plastic potential decreases commonly observed in the animal world. The topic of dormant neurons that covary with brain size and gyrencephaly represents a prospective turning point in the field of neuroplasticity, with important translational outcomes. These cells can represent a reservoir of undifferentiated neurons, potentially granting plasticity within the high-order circuits subserving the most sophisticated cognitive skills that are important in the growing brains of young, healthy individuals and are frequently affected by debilitating neurodevelopmental and degenerative disorders.

Key words: adult neurogenesis, amygdala, brain plasticity, cerebral cortex, comparative approach, evolution, immature neurons