Neural precursor cells were isolated from various regions of the developing rat and human
brain and grown in culture as aggregates termed neurospheres. We asked whether cells
within human and rodent neurospheres are identical, or whether they have species specific
characteristics or differences based on their region of origin. Under our culture conditions,
rodent neurospheres isolated from the cortex (ctxNS) and striatum (strNS) grew faster than
those from the mesencephalon (mesNS), but stopped growing after only eight to ten …