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The vestibular ganglion (VG), the primary sensory ganglion of the vestibular nerve, is increasingly seen as a key site of vestibular degeneration. Neural stem cells (NSCs) have been identified in several areas of the auditory and vestibular pathways. Endogenous activation of NSCs represents a promising regenerative strategy. However, the presence of NSCs within the VG remains uncertain. In this study, VG tissue from postnatal day (PND) 8 Sprague\u2010Dawley rats was isolated, enzymatically dissociated, and cultured in serum\u2010free neurosphere conditions. The dissociated VG cells reliably formed free\u2010floating neurospheres that grew over multiple passages. Immunocytochemistry showed expression of NSC and progenitor markers, including Sox\u20102, Nestin, Musashi\u20101, Atoh\u20101, and doublecortin, in both neurospheres and VG tissue sections. Additional analyses demonstrated persistence of Sox\u20102\u2010, Atoh\u20101\u2010, and Nestin\u2010positive populations in the adult VG. After differentiation, individual cells from neurospheres developed into \u03b2\u2010III\u2010tubulin\u2010positive neurons, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)\u2010positive astrocytes, and myelin basic protein (MBP)\u2010positive myelinating glial cells, while a significant portion retained Nestin expression, indicating a progenitor\u2010like state. These findings demonstrate that VG\u2010derived cells meet the main criteria of NSCs: self\u2010renewal, progenitor formation, and multipotent differentiation into neuronal and glial lineages. Our results provide the first evidence of a neurogenically capable cell population in the postnatal rat VG and support the persistence of progenitor\u2010associated cell populations into adulthood. This identifies the VG as a novel endogenous regenerative reservoir, positioning it as a promising target for strategies that activate resident cells to restore vestibular function.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1155\/sci\/5567583","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,7]],"date-time":"2026-09-07T06:42:12Z","timestamp":1788763332000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Evidence for a Neural Stem Cell Niche in the Postnatal Rat Vestibular Ganglion: An In Vitro Study"],"prefix":"10.1155","volume":"2026","author":[{"given":"Sabine","family":"Sommerer","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2109-3536","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kristen","family":"Rak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-5108-5568","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bjoern","family":"Spahn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6995-1849","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stephan","family":"Hackenberg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5718-1477","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Johannes","family":"Voelker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1061-3711","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jonas","family":"Engert","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_12_1_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/archinternmed.2009.66"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/ip.2005.011015"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.joto.2018.11.006"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/00034894001090s502"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1749-6632.2001.tb03748.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00005537-200307000-00007"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/jnr.20451"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/jnr.20652"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3109\/00016488109133244"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3233\/NRE-130866"},{"key":"e_1_2_12_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"437","DOI":"10.1002\/1096-9861(20010319)431:4<437::AID-CNE1081>3.0.CO;2-P","article-title":"Age-Related Change in the Number of Neurons in the Human Vestibular Ganglion","volume":"431","author":"Park J. 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