Grant: Operating Grant

Neurogenesis, the process of generating functional neurons from precursor cells, was traditionally thought only to occur during embryonic development. It is now well established that active neurogenesis occurs into adulthood. The neurogenic cells are derived from neural stem cells (NSCs) that reside in the adult brain in a well defined region lining the lateral ventricles. Our recent work has identified a novel population of adult stem cells within this same region, that display characteristics of pluripotency - an indication that they have the ability to differentiate not only into neural cell types, but into all cells that comprise the tissues of the body. The identification of this novel population of NSCs in the adult brain challenges our current understanding of the neural stem cell lineage and neurogenesis in the adult brain. In this proposal we will further characterize this rare population of cells and examine the lineage relationship between embryonic and adult derived neural stem cells and rigorously examine their pluripotentiality. Together, these findings will advance our understanding of the neural stem cell lineage and neurogenesis in the adult brain.