Dysregulation of Rho-Associated Coiled-Coil Protein Kinase1 Depletes Neural Stem Cell Pool and Impairs Hippocampal Neurogenesis After Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents a global health burden, often resulting in persistent neurological deficits due to impaired hippocampal neurogenesis. Nevertheless, the temporal progression of post-TBI neurogenesis and its molecular mechanisms remain elusive. To investigate the mechanism of impaired hippocampal neurogenesis and neurological deficits following TBI. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was employed to explore the mechanism of abnormal hippocampal neurogenesis after TBI in mice. Antagonists and conditional gene knockout (CKO) strategies were applied to dissect the molecular function of target genes. Here, we found that neural stem cells (NSCs) were hyperactivated as observed in Nestin-GFP reporter mice in hippocampus during the early phases of TBI, followed by progressive depletion of the NSC pool, impaired neurogenesis, and the onset of progressive cognitive dysfunction. ScRNA-seq transcriptomic analysis revealed sustained upregulation of Rho-associated coiled-coil protein kinase 1 (ROCK1) in hippocampal NSCs post-TBI. Pharmacological inhibition of ROCK1 or ROCK1 CKO rescued chronic neurogenic deficits and improved cognitive functions in TBI mice. Mechanistically, ROCK1 dysregulation impaired neurogenesis via aberrant AKT hyperphosphorylation, establishing a unidirectional ROCK1-AKT signalling axis in adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Our findings position ROCK1 as a pivotal regulator of the post-TBI NSC pool hyperactivation and aberrant neurogenesis and propose targeted kinase inhibition strategies as a potential therapy to mitigate abnormal neurogenesis in TBI patients.

Keywords

AKT / cognitive impairment / neurogenesis / ROCK1 / traumatic brain injury

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2025 The Author(s). Cell Proliferation published by Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.