Neurogenesis continues into adult life in restricted germinal layers. The identification of the
neural stem cells that give rise to these new neurons has important clinical implications and
provides fundamental information to understand the origins of the new neurons. Work in
adult birds and rodents yielded a surprising result: the neural stem cells appear to have
characteristics of glia. In adult birds, the primary neuronal precursors are radial glia. In adult
mammals, the primary neuronal precursors have properties of astrocytes. Radial glial cells …