0000000000025278

AUTHOR

Daniel G. Herrera

Young neurons from medial ganglionic eminence disperse in adult and embryonic brain.

In this study, we identified neuronal precursors that can disperse through adult mammalian brain tissue. Transplanted neuronal precursors from embryonic medial ganglionic eminence (MGE), but not from lateral ganglionic eminence (LGE) or neocortex, dispersed and differentiated into neurons in multiple adult brain regions. In contrast, only LGE cells were able to migrate efficiently from the adult subventricular zone to the olfactory bulb. In embryonic brain slices, MGE cells migrated extensively toward cortex. Our results demonstrate that cells in different germinal regions have unique migratory potentials, and that adult mammalian brain can support widespread dispersion of specific populati…

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Multipotent Neural Stem Cells Reside into the Rostral Extension and Olfactory Bulb of Adult Rodents

The lateral walls of the forebrain lateral ventricles are the richest source of stem cells in the adult mammalian brain. These stem cells give rise to new olfactory neurons that are renewed throughout life. The neurons originate in the subventricular zone (SVZ), migrate within the rostral extension (RE) of the SVZ along the rostral migratory stream (RMS) within tube-like structures formed of glial cells, to eventually reach the olfactory bulb (OB). We demonstrate that, contrary to the current view, multipotential (neuronal-astroglial-oligodendroglial) precursors with stem cell features can be isolated not only from the SVZ but also from the entire RE, including the distal portion within the…

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Investigating the use of primary adult subventricular zone neural precursor cells for neuronal replacement therapies

With the relatively recent discovery that neurogenesis persists throughout life in restricted regions of the adult mammalian brain, including those of human beings, there has been great interest in the use of adult-derived neural stem cells for neuronal replacement. There are many great hurdles that must be overcome in order for such replacement strategies to succeed. In this review, we outline some of these hurdles and discuss recent experiments that investigate the potential of using neural precursor cells found in the subventricular zone of the adult brain for brain repair.

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Adult-derived neural precursors transplanted into multiple regions in the adult brain

Neural stem cells persist in the adult brain subventricular zone (SVZ). These cells generate a large number of new neurons that migrate to the olfactory bulb, where they complete their differentiation. Here, we transplanted cells carrying beta-galactosidase under the control of neuron-specific enolase promoter (NSE::LacZ) from the SVZ of adult mice into the striatum cortex and olfactory bulb, with or without an excitotoxin lesion. Between 2 and 8 weeks after transplantation, grafted cells were present in the recipient regions, but extensive migration and differentiation into mature neurons of grafted cells were only observed in the olfactory bulb. Clusters of graft-derived neuroblasts formi…

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