Comparative approaches to understanding thyroid hormone regulation of neurogenesis

TL;DR

This review explores how thyroid hormone influences neurogenesis across vertebrates, emphasizing evolutionary perspectives and the impact of environmental disruptors on brain development.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of thyroid hormone regulation of neurogenesis across species and discusses evolutionary and environmental aspects.

Findings

Thyroid hormone affects neurogenesis in both embryonic and adult brains.

Evolutionary conservation of thyroid hormone pathways in neurogenesis.

Environmental disruptors can impair thyroid hormone regulation and brain development.

Abstract

Thyroid hormone (TH) signalling, an evolutionary conserved pathway, is crucial for brain function and cognition throughout life, from early development to ageing. In humans, TH deficiency during pregnancy alters offspring brain development, increasing the risk of cognitive disorders. How TH regulates neurogenesis and subsequent behaviour and cognitive functions remains a major research challenge. Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying TH signalling on proliferation, survival, determination, migration, differentiation and maturation have been studied in mammalian animal models for over a century. However, recent data show that THs also influence embryonic and adult neurogenesis throughout vertebrates (from mammals to teleosts). These latest observations raise the question of how TH availability is controlled during neurogenesis and particularly in specific neural stem cell populations. This review deals with the role of TH in regulating neurogenesis in the developing and the adult brain across different vertebrate species. Such evo-devo approaches can shed new light on (i) the evolution of the nervous system and (ii) the evolutionary control of neurogenesis by TH across animal phyla. We also discuss the role of thyroid disruptors on brain development in an evolutionary context.