Authors : A.O. Ihunwo and S. Pillay
Abstract: It has long been thought that neuronal production ceases after birth and regeneration of the nervous system was impossible. However repeated studies have shown that neurogenesis does occur within certain sites in the adult nervous system. This review provides information on details of neurogenic sites in mammalian central nervous system that is reported in literature. Advancement in cellular techniques have enabled scientists to isolate neural stem cells from the subventricular zone, dentate gyrus, septum and striatum, third ventricle, spinal cord, substantia nigra and amygdala from various mammals. Even areas thought to be non neurogenic in nature such as the neocortex, subcortical white matter, the olfactory bulb and rostral extension and the dorsal vagal complex yielded multipotent stem cells. The subventircular zone and the dentate gyrus remain the two most active neurogenic regions while the neurogenic properties of some regions such as the substantia nigra are still under controversy although most reported sites exhibit a substantial amount of neurogenesis. In South Africa, no animal model seems to have been used to investigate adult neurogenesis.
A.O. Ihunwo and S. Pillay , 2007. Neurogenic Sites in the Adult Mammalian Central Nervous System. Research Journal of Biological Sciences, 2: 170-177.