Dear Editor,

Neural stem cells (NSC) were discovered to exist in the adult brain. These cells have a capacity for self-renewal and can generate both neuronal and glial cells.1 Stem cells undergo apoptosis as an essential component of neural development. Previous studies suggest that embryonic and perinatal progenitor cells undergo apoptosis via activation of caspases2 and involvement of the Fas death receptor.3 Nothing, however, is known about the mechanisms by which adult NSC undergo cell death. Here we show that adult NSC undergo apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway with caspase-3 serving as the executioner caspase in the apoptotic machinery.

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