Swarm Behavior of Adult-Born Neurons During Migration in a Non-Permissive Environment.

Much attention has been provided to autonomous de-centralized systems based on swarm intelligence algo-rithms in robotics because of their resistance to com-ponent failure and ability to adapt to new environ-ments. During development, various types of collec-tively migrating cells contribute to tissue and organ formation and have provided useful models for study -ing swarm behaviors. In the adult brain under phys-iological conditions, collective cell migration is almost exclusively observed in the rostral migratory stream, where adult-born new neurons travel long distances in contiguous chain-like formation. After ischemic stroke, some new neurons migrate toward the lesion site. Studies show that the promotion of migration is critical for efficient neuronal rewiring in the post -stroke brain in rodents. The new neurons traverse to injured tissues that are not conducive to migra-tion by forming small chains, clearing a path through glial cells, and interacting with blood vessels. Al-though processes involved in migratory behavior, in-cluding cytoskeletal dynamics, intercellular adhesion, and chain formation, have been separately investi-gated, the mechanisms underlying neuronal swarm behavior are unclear. Future studies should help fur-ther our understanding of swarm intelligence and ad-vance the development of novel strategies for control-ling neuronal migration to promote efficient functional repair and rewiring in various pathological conditions.