Neurogenesis occurs in the adult brain, and neural stem cells (NSCs) reside in the adult central nervous system of mammals. Neurogenesis occurs primarily in two regions of the adult mammalian brain, the hippocampus and the subventricular zone, in various species including humans. Newly generated neuronal cells in the adult brain would originate from a pool of residual stem cells. NSCs are the self-renewing multipotent cells that generate the main phe-notypes of the nervous system, nerve cells, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. Because of their potential, NSCs represent a promising model for cellular therapy to treat and cure a broad range of neurological diseases and injuries, ranging from neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease, to cerebral strokes and traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. The stimulation of endogenous neural progenitor or stem cells of the adult brain and the transplantation of adult-derived neural progenitor and stem cells are proposed to repair and restore the degenerated or injured nerve pathways. Adult NSCs remain elusive, and the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the development of adult NSCs remain to be fully elucidated and understood. Hence, it may be decades before adult NSC-based cellular therapy is brought to therapy for the treatment of neurological diseases and disorders.
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