This study examined the effect of gestational age of rat ventral mesencephalon (VM) on the characteristics of neurospheres generated from this region and on the yield of each cell type after differentiation of these neurospheres. Neurospheres generated from embryonic day (E) 12 and E13 VM had significantly larger diameters and volumes than those from E14 VM. Subsequent differentiation of these neurospheres resulted in decreasing yield of neurones (E12>E13>E14) and increasing yields of both astroglia and oligodendroglia (E12
10.1016/j.neulet.2004.10.083