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A2AR and BDNF in Adult Neurogenesis

In a recent STEM CELLS article, researchers led by Sara Xapelli (Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal) report that adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) activation enhances postnatal and adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Ribeiro et al. demonstrated that this was made possible through the increased self-renewal capacity of Type 1 and Type 2 cells and neuronal committed cell protection, differentiation, and branching. Furthermore, A2AR activation promoted the secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which was essential for A2AR activity, and BDNF-mediated neuronal differentiation but not self-renewal.