Stage- and area-specific control of stem cells in the developing nervous system.

The spatiotemporal control of proliferation and differentiation in neural stem cells (NSCs) is essential to produce a functional nervous system (NS). Stem cells in different areas and at different time points during development have to produce different types of cells in a precise manner. Recent studies uncovered a plethora of cell extrinsic as well as intrinsic factors that play crucial roles in the area-specific and stage-specific control of NSCs. Moreover, recapitulation of the spatiotemporal specification of NSCs in vitro opens new avenues for future applications. In this review, we have selected some key molecules to discuss the mechanisms underlying the spatiotemporal regulation of NSC development.