A remarkable finding in this report is that the age apparently did not make substantial change between the eDRG and aDRG in terms of stem cell preservation and their potential for sensory differentiation. We have found that aDRG and eDRG NSCs, following long-term maintenance without dissociating, displayed neural stem cell character (i.e., BrdU incorporation and nestin expression) and maintained multipotentiality—differentiating into glial, neuronal, and sensory-like cells. The preservation of aDRG NSCs response to NGF and BDNF treatments suggests that adult DRG is plastic and responsive to neurotrophic treatment for replenishment at least in the rat.
