Isolation of neural stem cells from damaged rat cerebral cortex after traumatic brain injury.

Nestin-positive cells were seen around the damaged area at 24 h, 72 h and 7 days after rat traumatic brain injury. Tissue was isolated from around the damaged area at 72 h after injury and spheres were cultured with basic fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor. These spheres could not be isolated at 24 h and 7 days after injury. Isolated spheres consisted of nestin-positive neural stem cells. Neurospheres differentiated into Tuj1-positive, glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive and O4-positive cells after 4 days in culture without basic fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor. These results indicate that isolated and cultured neurospheres can differentiate into neurons and glia. An increase in nestin-positive cells around a cerebral cortical damaged area might contribute to neurogenesis and neuroplasticity.