Neural stem cell niche heterogeneity

Abstract In mammals, new neurons can be generated from neural stem cellsin specific regions of the adult brain. Neural stem cellsare characterized by their abilities to differentiate into all neural lineages and to self-renew. The specific microenvironments regulating neural stem cells, commonly referred to as neurogenic niches, comprise multiple cell populations whose precise contributions are under active current exploration. Understanding the cross-talk between neural stem cellsand their nichecomponents is essential for the development of therapies against neurological disorders in which neural stem cellsfunction is altered. In this review, we describe and discuss recent studies that identified novel components in the neural stem cell niche. These discoveries bring new concepts to the field. Here, we evaluate these recent advances that change our understanding of the neural stem cell nicheheterogeneity and its influence on neural stem cellfunction.