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The development of neural stem cells

Nature volume 414, pages 112–117 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

The discovery of stem cells that can generate neural tissue has raised new possibilities for repairing the nervous system. A rush of papers proclaiming adult stem cell plasticity has fostered the notion that there is essentially one stem cell type that, with the right impetus, can create whatever progeny our heart, liver or other vital organ desires. But studies aimed at understanding the role of stem cells during development have led to a different view — that stem cells are restricted regionally and temporally, and thus not all stem cells are equivalent. Can these views be reconciled?

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Figure 1: The location of neural stem cells.
Figure 2: The development of stem cells in the mammalian CNS.
Figure 3: Stem cells alter their responses to growth factors over time.
Figure 4: Can the stem cell lineage be reversed?

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Acknowledgements

I thank Q. Shen for her help with Table 1 and for invaluable discussions; K. Kirchofer for preparing the manuscript; and S. Dunnett for summarizing the potential therapeutic applications of stem cells in Box 1.

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  1. Center for Neuropharmacology and Neuroscience, Albany Medical College, 47 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, 12208, USA, New York

    Sally Temple

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Correspondence to Sally Temple.

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Temple, S. The development of neural stem cells. Nature 414, 112–117 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35102174

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