The hippocampus contains a population of stem cells that continually proliferate to produce new neurons. The development of new markers capable of identifying and isolating defined neural stem cell populations are of utmost importance. Prominin-1 has successfully been used as a marker for the isolation of neural stem and progenitor cells from other brain regions including the mouse embryonic forebrain, the adult SVZ and the postnatal cerebellum. However, its potential as a marker of stem cells in the adult hippocampus remains to be confirmed. The first aim of this proposal is to examine the efficacy of Prominin-1 as a potential marker for the isolation and characterisation of hippocampal stem cells.We have recently discovered a dormant or latent population of neural precursors in the adult hippocampus that can be triggered to generate new neurons. Identification and characterisation of the molecules that trigger these latent neural precursors to generate new neurons should lead to the development of radical new therapies to treat neurodegenerative conditions that affect the hippocampus. Two candidate molecules (Prominin-2 and AP2-gamma) have been chosen based on preliminary microarray data and will be examined for their ability stimulate hippocampal neurogenesis.