Evidence for neuronal self-repair following insults to the adult brain has been scarce until very recently. Ischaemic insults have now been shown to trigger neurogenesis from neural stem cells or progenitor cells located in the dentate subgranular zone, the subventricular zone lining the lateral ventricle, and the posterior periventricle adjacent to the hippocampus. New neurons migrate to the granule cell layer or to the damaged CA1 region and striatum, where they express morphological markers characteristic of those neurons that have died. Some evidence indicates that these neurons can re-establish connections and contribute to functional recovery.