Autophagy and Adult Neurogenesis: Discoveries Made Half a Century Ago Yet in their Infancy of being Connected

Within the brain, the physiological and pathological functions of autophagy in development and throughout the lifespan are being elucidated. This review summarizes recent in vitro and in vivo results that are defining the role of autophagy-related genes during the process of adult neurogenesis. We also discuss the need for future experiments to determine the molecular mechanism and functional significance of autophagy in the different neural stem cell populations and throughout the stages of adult neurogenesis.