Subventricular zone

The subventricular zone ( SVZ ) is located between the striatum and the lateral ventricles (lateral ventricles) of the brain.

Function

The subventricular zone is a germinal zone containing neural stem cells. In many animals, the subventricular zone is the largest reservoir of stem cells in the brain. To date, three zones are known in the brain that are capable of forming neural stem cells. These are in addition to the subventricular zone of the dentate gyrus, which is a part of the hippocampal formation and the subcortical white matter.

The stem cells of the SVZ develop in the late embryonic stage to nerve and glial cells. After completion of the embryonic phase, the subventricular zone forms back. It remains only a thin layer in the adult organism always present but has been. The neural stem cells remain active throughout the entire lifespan.

The subventricular zone supplies the olfactory bulb ( olfactory bulb ) with neurons and is in many animals, the largest pool of neural stem cells. About the rostral migratory stream tubular ( Rostral Migratory Stream RMS) ending on the olfactory bulb, the prolieferierenden cells from the SVZ migrate to the olfactory bulb. About 10,000 neurons are formed in the olfactory bulb in rodents per day. The survival of neural stem cells can be stimulated by vascular endothelial growth factor in the adult brain. Neurogenesis can be increased by more than 50%.

The stem cells of the subventricular zone obviously play in the development of gliomas an important role. There is clear evidence that the stem cells of the subventricular zone can form gliomas by malignant transformation. The facts are, however, not yet been fully elucidated and is currently under discussion still controversial.