New Techniques for Biopsy and Culture of Human Olfactory Epithelial Neurons

Abstract
THE OLFACTORY epithelium is, in many ways, similar to the neuroepithelium of the embryonic neural tube. Within adult olfactory epithelium are stem cells that retain the capacity to divide and give rise to neuronal precursors that further divide and differentiate into mature sensory neurons.1-3 Olfactory neurogenesis also occurs in humans: we have shown that human olfactory epithelium retains the capacity for neurogenesis and neuronal differentiation at least until the age of 72 years and that this can be demonstrated in tissue collected up to 25 hours post mortem.4 Thus, the human olfactory epithelium has the potential to be used as a tool to examine certain human disorders resulting from abnormal development of the nervous system.

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