Stem cells and neurogenesis for brain development, degeneration and therapy

Neural stem cells and neurogenesis are a constitutive part of brain development and homeostasis. Importantly, function of neural stem cells and neurogenesis is how a healthy brain is defined. Decline number of neural stem cells and impaired neurogenesis are observed during aging and neurodegenerative disorders. Therefore, research in the past decades has generated great interest in the understanding of neural stem cells and neurogenesis. Many immunological and pharmacological therapeutic approaches are developed based on this research. In the current chapter, we introduce different types of stem cells relevant to the health and diseases of the nervous system. We discuss critical molecules and cell types involved in adult neurogenesis and how this research can be used to promote neural regeneration and repair during diseases. Additionally, we introduce an exciting new avenue of stem cell therapy based on somatic cell reprogramming strategy and discuss its potential applications in various neurological diseases.