Cellular and Ultrastructural Anatomy of the Ventricular–Subventricular Zone, Rostral Migratory Stream and Olfactory Bulb: Comparative and Translational Perspectives

The ventricular–subventricular zone (V-SVZ), the rostral migratory stream (RMS), and the olfactory bulb (OB) together form a neurogenic system whose cellular composition, ultrastructure, and functional persistence vary strikingly between species and across the lifespan. Advances in electron microscopy, tissue clearing, and single-cell profiling have revealed unexpected complexity in this pathway — from the heterogeneity of neural stem and progenitor cell types lining the lateral ventricles, to species-specific differences in neuroblast migration, chain organization, and the postnatal persistence (or disappearance) of the RMS itself. Understanding these differences is critical not only for basic neurodevelopmental biology but also for evaluating the translational relevance of rodent neurogenesis models to the human brain, where adult neurogliogenesis is far more restricted and clinically consequential for regeneration and repair.

This Research Topic invites original research, reviews, and methodological contributions addressing the cellular and ultrastructural organization of the V-SVZ, RMS, and OB across species — including comparative anatomy in rodents, carnivores, ungulates (e.g., swine), non-human primates, and humans. We particularly welcome studies examining: the identity and heterogeneity of neural stem/progenitor and ependymal cell populations in the V-SVZ niche; the glial and vascular scaffolding that guides neuroblast chain migration along the RMS; ultrastructural and immunohistochemical characterization of migratory neuroblasts and their maturation into OB interneurons; comparative and evolutionary perspectives on the heterogeneity of postnatal neurogenesis occurrence in widely different mammals; and the impact of aging, injury, or neurodegenerative disease on the structural integrity and regenerative capacity of this neurogenic axis.

By bringing together comparative neuroanatomy, ultrastructural analysis, and translational neuroscience, this Research Topic aims to build a more complete picture of how the V-SVZ–RMS–OB system is organized, how it varies across mammals, and what this means for neural repair strategies in the human brain.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: V-SVZ, rostral migratory stream, olfactory bulb, neurogenesis, neural stem cells, neuroblast migration, comparative neuroanatomy, ultrastructure, ependymal cells, neural repair

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.