Stem cells in different location, researchers say

Adult stem cells live in a different part of the brain than previously thought, and knowing where they are allows scientists to produce new cells, a new study by UCI researchers shows. The results will appear in this month’s online journal of Neuroscience.

The early school of thought believed stem cells were in the subventricular zone, but new evidence puts them in the ependymal cells that line the ventricles in the brain with the spinal chord. Ventricles transport fluids that support the brain tissue.

If done properly, it is possible for these cells to be stimulated into division, creating new cells that could treat neurological disorders and injuries such as Parkinson’s disease or stroke, the study states.

— Daniel Tedford