THE ADULT CENTRAL nervous system has long been viewed as comprising tissue that is incapable of cell neogenesis and, particularly, lacking the ability to support production of new neuronal cells. Yet, discoveries made over the last two decades have radically altered this perspective. In fact, the discovery that some regions of the mature brain are the site of intense neurogenesis throughout life has changed our understanding of how the brain maintains its cy to architecture and functional integrity while, at the same time, possessing an inherent degree of plasticity and significant regeneration capacity.

The biological entity at the root of this neuro—genetic process is the neural stem cell. Although bearing somewhat distinct functional properties depending on their age and location, neural stem cells are involved in ...