Cortical regulation of neurogenesis and cell proliferation in the ventral subventricular zone

Neurogenesis and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) are controlled by cell-intrinsic molecular pathways that interact with extrinsic signaling cues. In this study, we identify a circuit that regulates neurogenesis and cell proliferation in the lateral ventricle-subventricular zone (LV-SVZ). Our results demonstrate that direct glutamatergic projections from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), as well as inhibitory projections from calretinin(+) local interneurons, modulate the activity of cholinergic neurons in the subependymal zone (subep-ChAT(+)). Furthermore, in vivo optogenetic stimulation and inhibition of the ACC-subep-ChAT(+) circuit are sufficient to control neurogenesis in the ventral SVZ. Both subep-ChAT(+) and local calretinin(+) neurons play critical roles in regulating ventral SVZ neurogenesis and LV-SVZ cell proliferation.