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Active cells in the dentate gyrus
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Dopamine projections in the prefrontal cortex
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Adult-born neurons projecting to CA3
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Brain at E19
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Placenta at E19
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catFISH - cytoplasmic mRNA of IEGs
About
I am a neuroscientist at the University of Prince Edward Island. My previous research focused on hippocampal neurogenesis. Neurogenesis describes the process of birth, maturation and integration of neurons. It takes place in rodents and humans from development to old age. Neurons born during adulthood are more plastic and morphologically more complex than developmentally-born neurons. What can adult-born neurons do that developmentally-born dentate neurons are not able to do? What are their special features that make them unique? Are they connected differently in the network? And how is their production regulated? We know that certain environmental stimuli such as running can induce the formation of new neurons, whereas stress and ageing decrease their number. My goal is to clarify the impact of neurogenesis on behaviour and identify mechanisms how neurogenesis can be manuipulated to create new treatments for depression and other neurological disorders. For updates on my current research at UPEI check out my lab website https://projects.upei.ca/seiblab/
Research
Stem cells exist in all organs of the human body, but the brain was long thought to have none and thus, no regenerative potential. However, within the last 2 decades, it has become well accepted that stem cells exist in the human brain and that new neurons are born every day, even in old age. These neurons are mainly produced in the hippocampus, part of the limbic system associated with memories and emotions. The lack of new-born neurons has been associated with many neurological disorders.
Publications
Link to Google Scholar for Désirée R. Seib née Glagow
Ward MD, Snyder JS, Seib DR. Chemogenetic inhibition of developmentally-born hippocampal neurons but not loss of adult neurogenesis impairs spatial working memory in the rat. Behavioural Brain Research 2026 May 28:506:116151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2026.116151 PMID: 41806956
Jung MM, Idrissi M, Hoang Y, Huan T, Seib DR, Soma K. Maternal sucrose intake during pregnancy alone disrupts testosterone and allopregnanolone levels in the fetal brain of rats. The Journal of Nutrition 2026 Feb;156(2):101267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.101267 PMID: 41386554
Seib DR, Jung MM, Soma KK. Maternal sucrose consumption alters steroid levels in the mother, placenta, and fetus. Journal of Endocrinology 2025 Feb 24;265(1):e240238. https://doi.org/10.1530/JOE-24-0238 PMID: 39873388
Seib DR, Tobiansky DJ, Meitzen J, Floresco SB, Soma KK. Neurosteroids and the mesocorticolimbic system. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 2023 153, 105356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105356. PMID: 37567491. (5-year Impact Factor: 8.2)
Price HR, Jalabert C, Seib DR, Ma C, Lai D, Soma KK, Collier AC. Measurement of Steroids in the Placenta, Maternal Serum, and Fetal Serum in Humans, Rats, and Mice: A Technical Note. Separations 2023 10(4), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations10040221. (5-year Impact Factor: 3.3)
Ash AM, Regele-Blasco E, Seib DR, Chahley E, Skelton PD, Luikart BW, Snyder JS. Adult-born neurons inhibit developmentally-born neurons during spatial learning. Neurobiol. Learn. Mem. 2023, 198, 107710. doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107710. PMID: 36572174. (5-year Impact Factor: 3.2)
Seib DR, Princz-Lebel O, Chahley ER, Floresco SB, Snyder JS. Hippocampal neurogenesis promotes effortful responding but does not regulate effort-based choice. Hippocampus 2022 Sep 30. doi: 10.1002/hipo.23472. PMID: 36177887. (5-year Impact Factor: 3.9)
O'Leary TP, Askari B, Lee B, Darby K, Knudson C, Ash AM, Seib DR, Espinueva D, Snyder JS. Inhibiting adult neurogenesis differentially affects spatial learning in females and males. eNeuro 2022 May 12;9(3): ENEURO.0054-22.2022. doi: 10.1523/ENEURO.0054-22.2022. PMID: 35473765. PMCID: PMC9116935. (5-year Impact Factor: 3.4)
Tomm RJ*, Seib DR*, Kachkovski GV, Schweitzer HR, Tobiansky DJ, Floresco SB&, Soma KK&. Androgen synthesis inhibition increaes behavioural flexibility and tyrosine hydroxylase in gonadectomized male rats. *, equal contribution, & co-PI. J Neuroendocrinol 2022 Jun;34(6):e13128. doi: 10.1111/jne.13128. PMID: 35583989. (5-year Impact Factor: 3.6)
Seib DR, Espinueva DF, Princz-Lebel O, Chahley E, Stevenson J, O'Leary TP, Floresco SB, Snyder JS. Hippocampal neurogenesis promotes preference for future rewards. Mol Psychiatry. 2021 Nov;26(11):6317-6335. doi: 10.1038/s41380-021-01165-3. PubMed PMID: 34021262. (5-year Impact Factor: 12.5)
Thuret S: Faculty Opinions Recommendation of [Seib DR et al., Mol Psychiatry 2021]. In Faculty Opinions, 16 Jun 2021; 10.3410/f.740158880.793585885
Seib DR, Espinueva DF, Floresco SB, Snyder JS. A role for neurogenesis in probabilistic reward learning. Behav Neurosci. 2020 Aug;134(4):283-295. doi: 10.1037/bne0000370. Epub 2020 May 7. PubMed PMID: 32378907. (5-year Impact Factor: 2.5)
Cole JD, Espinueva DF, Seib DR, Ash AM, Cooke MB, Cahill SP, O'Leary TP, Kwan SS, Snyder JS. Adult-Born Hippocampal Neurons Undergo Extended Development and Are Morphologically Distinct from Neonatally-Born Neurons. J Neurosci. 2020 Jul 22;40(30):5740-5756. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1665-19.2020. Epub 2020 Jun 22. PubMed PMID: 32571837; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7380968. (2019 Impact Factor: 5.7)
Covered in Nature Research Highlights: Neurons that bloom in adulthood show off fancy patterns. 22 Jun 2020.
Yu RQ, Cooke M, Seib DR, Zhao J, Snyder JS. Adult neurogenesis promotes efficient, nonspecific search strategies in a spatial alternation water maze task. Behav Brain Res. 2019 Dec 30;376:112151. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112151. Epub 2019 Aug 22. PubMed PMID: 31445978. (5-year Impact Factor: 3.1)
Cahill SP, Martinovic A, Cole JD, Seib DR, Snyder JS. A combination of running and memantine increases neurogenesis and reduces activation of developmentally-born dentate granule neurons in rats. Behav Brain Res. 2019 Oct 17;372:112005. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112005. Epub 2019 Jun 2. PubMed PMID: 31167109. (5-year Impact Factor: 3.1)
Seib DR, Chahley E, Princz-Lebel O, Snyder JS. Intact memory for local and distal cues in male and female rats that lack adult neurogenesis. PLoS One. 2018;13(5):e0197869. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197869. eCollection 2018. PubMed PMID: 29787617; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5963786. (5-year Impact Factor: 3.1)
Snyder JS, Grigereit L, Russo A, Seib DR, Brewer M, Pickel J, Cameron HA. A Transgenic Rat for Specifically Inhibiting Adult Neurogenesis. eNeuro. 2016 May-Jun;3(3). doi: 10.1523/ENEURO.0064-16.2016. eCollection 2016 May-Jun. PubMed PMID: 27257630; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4886221. (5-year Impact Factor: 3.4)
Seib DR, Martin-Villalba A. Neurogenesis in the Normal Ageing Hippocampus: A Mini-Review. Gerontology. 2015;61(4):327-35. doi: 10.1159/000368575. Epub 2014 Nov 29. Review. PubMed PMID: 25471300. (5-year Impact Factor: 4.0)
Seib DR, Corsini NS, Ellwanger K, Plaas C, Mateos A, Pitzer C, Niehrs C, Celikel T, Martin-Villalba A. Loss of Dickkopf-1 restores neurogenesis in old age and counteracts cognitive decline. Cell Stem Cell. 2013 Feb 7;12(2):204-14. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2012.11.010. PubMed PMID: 23395445. (5-year Impact Factor: 26.3)
Comment by Wu MV and Hen R. The young and the restless: regulation of adult neurogenesis by Wnt signaling. Cell Stem Cell. 2013 Feb 7;12(2):139-40. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2013.01.013. PMID: 23395437; PMCID: PMC3635106.
Covered in National Geographic by Virginia Hughes: Opening the Black Box of Neurogenesis. 7 Feb 2013.
Seib DR and Martin-Villalba A (2013). In vivo Neurogenesis. Bio-protocol 3(15): e841. http://doi.org/10.21769/BioProtoc.841.
Seib DR and Martin-Villalba A (2013). Neuronal Morphology Analysis. Bio-protocol 3(15): e842. http://doi.org/10.21769/BioProtoc.842.
Ribeiro D, Ellwanger K*, Glagow D*, Theofilopoulos S, Corsini NS, Martin-Villalba A, Niehrs C, Arenas E. Dkk1 regulates ventral midbrain dopaminergic differentiation and morphogenesis. PLoS One. 2011 Feb 11;6(2):e15786. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0015786. PubMed PMID: 21347250; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3037958. (5-year Impact Factor:3.1)
Corsini NS, Sancho-Martinez I, Laudenklos S, Glagow D, Kumar S, Letellier E, Koch P, Teodorczyk M, Kleber S, Klussmann S, Wiestler B, Brüstle O, Mueller W, Gieffers C, Hill O, Thiemann M, Seedorf M, Gretz N, Sprengel R, Celikel T, Martin-Villalba A. The death receptor CD95 activates adult neural stem cells for working memory formation and brain repair. Cell Stem Cell. 2009 Aug 7;5(2):178-90. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2009.05.004. PubMed PMID: 19664992. (5-year Impact Factor: 26.3)
TEACHING AND MENTORING
I was an instructor of PSYC 306 - Principles of Animal Behaviour and PSYC 460 - Behavioural Neuroendocrinology at the University of British Columbia. During my graduate and postdoctoral training I supervised and mentored a total of 20 undergraduate and graduate students. I gave multiple guest lectures in 2nd and 3rd year undergraduate courses and instructed several undergraduate and graduate Molecular Neurobiology lab courses.
PRESENTATIONS
Selected talks
Maternal high-sucrose diet alters androgens in the rat placenta. First Canadian Placenta Webinar. One of five selected trainee talks. Canada. (2022)
Maternal high-sucrose diet alters androgens and aldosterone in the placenta and developing fetus. Behavioural Neuroscience Seminar, Psychology Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada. (2022)
Effects of maternal high-sucrose consumption on fetal development. Social Exposome Cluster Trainee Research Day, University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, B.C., Canada. (2021)
Effects of a high sucrose diet on brain development and the placenta. Origin of Child Health and Disease Seminar, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, B.C., Canada. (2021)
The effects of chronic maternal sucrose intake on offspring steroid levels in the rat. Joint international lab meeting of the Soma and Andrews Lab; University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada; University of Edinburgh, Scotland. (2021)
Effects of a high sucrose diet on brain development and the placenta. Neuroscience Seminar, Psychology Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada. (2021)
Neurogenesis and depression-related decision-making. Behavioural Neuroscience Seminar, Psychology Department, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada. (2018)
Adult neurogenesis increases preference for future rewards. Abcam Conference on Adult Neurogenesis: Evolution, Regulation and Function, Dresden, Germany. (2015)
Adult neurogenesis and future thinking. Neuroscience Seminar, Brain Research Center, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada. (2015)
Recent poster presentations
Seib DR, Jung MM, Chen HW, Soma KK. Maternal high-sucrose diet alters androgens and aldosterone in the fetal brain and placenta of rats. Society for Neuroscience (SfN) hybrid Meeting in San Diego, CA, United States. (2022)
Seib DR, Kachkovski GV, Rutledge GS, Chen L, Bodnar TS, Collier AC, Soma KK. Maternal high-sucrose diet increases corticosterone in the mother and alters steroids in the fetuses. Organization for the Study of Sex Differences (OSSD) Virtual Meeting. (2021)
Seib DR, Kachkovski GV, Bodnar TS, Collier AC, Soma KK. Impacts of prenatal sucrose exposure on cytokines and anti-inflammatory steroids in the fetal rat brain. SNS 2021, Virtual Meeting: Steroids and Nervous Sysytem. (2021)
Seib DR, Kachkovski GV, Bodnar TS, Collier AC, Soma KK. Effects of Maternal Sucrose Consumption on Inflammation and Steroids in the Placenta and Fetal Brain. ENDO 2021, Virtual Meeting of the Endocrine Society. (2021)
Seib DR, Princz-Lebel O, Chahley E, Floresco SB, Snyder JS. Hippocampal neurogenesis promotes effortful responding but does not regulate effort-based choice. Society for Neuroscience, Global Connectome, A virtual event. (2021)
Ash A, Regele-Blasco E, Seib DR, Chahley E, Snyder JS. Adult-born neurons modulate activity in developmentally-born neurons during learning. Society for Neuroscience, Global Connectome, A virtual event. (2021)
Seib DR, Espinueva D, Princz-Lebel O, Chahley E, Stevenson J, Floresco SB, Snyder JS. Hippocampal neurogenesis impacts delay-based decision making. The International Behavioral Neuroscience Society IBNS 2020 Online Poster Session. (2020)
Snyder JS, Espinueva D, O'Leary TP, Cahill SP, Seib DR, Cole JD. Adult-born neurons are structurally plastic and remain morphologically distinct from developmentally-born neurons. 48th Society for Neuroscience Meeting in San Diego, CA, United States. (2018)
Seib DR, Espinueva D, Princz-Lebel O, Chahley E, Floresco SB, Snyder JS. Neurogenesis impacts delay-based decision making and affects neuronal activity in the ventral hippocampus. 48th Society for Neuroscience Meeting in San Diego, CA, United States. (2018)
Cahill SP, Martinovic A, Ciric T, Cole JD, Seib DR, Cooke MB, Snyder JS. Adult neurogenesis and regulation of dentate gyrus neurons born in early postnatal development. 48th Society for Neuroscience Meeting in San Diego, CA, United States. (2018)
Seib DR, Espinueva D, Princz-Lebel O, Chahley E, Floresco SB, Snyder JS. Ablation of hippocampal neurogenesis and chronic inhibition of immature hippocampal neurons with DREADDs differently affect delay-based decision-making. 12th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. (2018)
O'Leary TP, Espinueva D, Seib DR, Snyder JS. Sex differences in the role of adult neurogenesis in visuo-spatial learning and memory is dependent on stress during training. 12th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. (2018)
