Proliferation of Distinct Hippocampal Progenitor Cells after Cortical Infarcts in the Adult Brain

Stimulation of cell proliferation and neurogenesis in the adult dentate gyrus has been observed following global and focal brain ischemia even when the hippocampal formation was not directly damaged. We here analyzed the effects of small cortical infarcts on proliferation of subpopulations of nestin-expressing progenitor cells during the first 3 days after ischemia using the photothrombosis model in adult transgenic pNestin-GFP-mice. Proliferating cells were labelled by a single i.p. injection of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU, 50mg/kg) 2 hours after induction of the infarct and further characterized at 6, 24, and 72 h…