Neural stem cells (NSCs) line the postnatal lateral ventricles and give rise to multiple cell types which include neurons, astrocytes, and ependymal cells. Understanding the molecular pathways responsible for NSC self-renewal, commitment, and differentiation is critical for harnessing their unique potential to repair the brain and better understand central nervous system disorders. Previous met...

Retinoic acid (RA) synthesized by Raldh3 in the frontonasal surface ectoderm of chick embryos has been suggested to function in early forebrain patterning by regulating Fgf8, Shh, and Meis2 expression. Similar expression of Raldh3 exists in E8.75 mouse embryos, but Raldh2 is also expressed in the optic vesicle at this stage suggesting that both genes may play a role in early forebrain patternin...

Stem cells with the potential to give rise to new neurons reside in different regions of the adult rodents CNS, but in vivo only the hippocampal dentate gyrus and the subventricular zone-olfactory bulb system are neurogenic under physiological condition. Comparative analyses have shown that vast species differences exist in the way the mammalian brain is organized and in its neurogenic capacity...

We have used a monoclonal antibody against the neuron-specific class III beta-tubulin (TuJ1; Lee et al., 1990b) to study the distribution and morphology of immature neurons in the proliferative ventricular and subventricular zones of the developing telencephalon. Mouse brains from embryonic day 12 (E12) to postnatal day 5 (P5) were fixed either with a non-cross-linking agent, HistoChoice, or wi...

γ-protocadherins (γ-pcdhs) are transmembrane receptor proteins ubiquitously expressed in the postnatal and adult mouse brain. γ-pcdhs are required for normal neuronal development as shown for spinal cord interneurons, retinal ganglion cells and cortical neurons. To test the role of γ-pcdhs during development of subventricular zone progenitor cells and their subsequent differentiation into olfac...

Postnatal neuronal migration modulates circuit formation and function throughout life is conserved among species. Pathological conditions activate the generation of neuroblasts in ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) promote their towards a lesion. However, generally terminate before reaching lesion site unless intrinsic capacity modified or environment improved. It important to understand w...

Here, using further optimized 3D culture that allows highly selective induction and long-term growth of human ES cell (hESC)-derived cortical neuroepithelium, we demonstrate unique aspects of self-organization in human neocorticogenesis. Self-organized cortical tissue spontaneously forms a polarity along the dorsocaudal-ventrorostral axis and undergoes region-specific rolling morphogenesis that...

Since the discovery of neural stem cells in the mammalian brain, there has been significant interest in understanding their contribution to tissue homeostasis at both the cellular and molecular level. Wnt/β-catenin signaling is crucial for development of the central nervous system and has been implicated in stem cell maintenance in multiple tissues. Based on this, we hypothesized that the Wnt p...

Neural stem cells with self-renewal and multilineage potential persist in the subventricular zone of the adult mammalian forebrain. These cells remain relatively quiescent but, under certain conditions, can be stimulated, giving rise to new neurons. Liver growth factor (LGF) is a mitogen for liver cells that shows biological activity in extrahepatic sites and is useful for neuroregenerative the...

The ginkgo biloba extract EGb761 improves memory loss and cognitive impairments in patients with senile dementia. It also promotes proliferation of neural stem cells in the subventricular zone in Parkinson's disease model mice and in the hippocampal zone of young epileptic rats. However, it remains unclear whether EGb761 enhances proliferation of endogenous neural stem cells in the brain of rat...