Researchers studied what happens immediately after a stroke in the stem cell niche known as the subventricular zone, using a mouse model. This revealed a mechanism that results in fewer newborn neurons from the stem cell niche surviving after stroke, thereby significantly limiting the neurogenic reaction of the subventricular zone to repair the brain. This fundamental understanding of the cellular processes in the brain could help in future to boost the body's own repair to replace lost neurons and ameliorate the consequences of stroke.