Protocol for culturing neurospheres from progenitor cells in the dentate gyrus of aged mouse hippocampus
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2025
One Mouse, Two Cultures: Isolation and Culture of Adult Neural Stem Cells from the Two Neurogenic Zones of Individual Mice
Published on: February 25, 2014
Olga Vafaeva1, Poommaree Namchaiw2, Karl Murray3
1Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Abstract:
The neurosphere assay is the gold standard for assessing the proliferative and differentiation capacities of neural progenitor cells (NPCs). Here, we present a protocol for isolating, propagating, and maintaining hippocampal neurospheres from adult and aged mice and differentiating cultured NPCs into neurons and astrocytes. We describe steps for establishing a heterochronic co-culture of neurosphere-derived cells with primary neurons. Using neurospheres from old animals enables investigation of the effects of aging on the development and differentiation of newborn neurons.
