EGFL7 and Mental deterioration: Thus, a goal of future work will be to i) reveal the underlying mechanisms by which EGFL7 may be influencing VEGF-D expression in the hippocampus and ii) investigate whether the targeted downregulation of EGFL7 or application of VEGF-D in humans may be used to upregulate SGZ neurogenesis and delay or mitigate the cognitive decline resulting from the impact of neurodegenerative diseases of the hippocampus.