Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Neural stem cells are multipotent adult stem cells present in the adult central nervous system that can self-renew, and give rise to new neurons and supporting cells called glial cells. Activation of neural stem cells or their transplantation into areas of central nervous system injury can lead to regeneration in animal models.
RFC1 is a replication and repair protein, and mutations to this gene are associated with rare movement disorders like late-onset cerebellar ataxias. Here they show that RFC1 is essential for zebrafish cerebellar development by preserving genome integrity in neural progenitors during neurogenesis.
The role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in human cortical development remains largely unexplored. Here authors investigate CHRNA7 and CHRFAM7A, uncovering their involvement in radial glial cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation, and identify YAP1 as a downstream effector of cholinergic signaling.
Maintaining neural progenitor cell stemness has proven challenging in vitro, due to their propensity to form cell-dense neurospheres. Here, the authors developed a 3D hydrogel system that supports neural progenitor cell stemness maintenance and differentiation by tuning matrix mechanics and cell-binding cues, enabling long-term expansion and neuron formation without needing dense cell clusters.
The choroid plexus is a crucial but understudied brain tissue. Here, the authors use stem cells and tissue samples to trace its origins and lineage during pregnancy and to create new models for its support of the developing human brain.
Treatments for traumatic brain injury are lacking owing to the limited regenerative capacity of neurons. Now, ultrasound-activated piezoelectric nanostickers that attach to cell membranes are shown to promote the neuronal differentiation of transplanted stem cells, leading to substantial brain tissue repair in rats with traumatic brain injury.
We show that multipotent neural stem cells (NSCs) exist in the periphery and can be isolated from multiple peripheral tissues. Peripheral NSCs (pNSCs) are composed of SOX1+ cells that originate from neuroepithelial cells and not neural crest cells, share features with brain NSCs and contribute to peripheral neurogenesis during early development.
Early-career scientists shared some of their plans, hopes and dreams about being a principal investigator at the 2024 annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research.
The protracted timeline of maturation is a major bottleneck in generating adult-like neurons from human pluripotent stem cells. We identify a combination of four chemicals that promotes neuronal maturation by repressing epigenetic factors that inhibit it and stimulating activity-dependent factors that promote it.
We discovered expression of SYNGAP1, which encodes the ‘synaptic’ protein SYNGAP1, within human cortical progenitors. In an organoid model of SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency, cortical neurogenesis and neuronal network activity were disrupted. This finding reveals an unknown function for SYNGAP1 at early stages of development, providing a new framework for understanding the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder.
