AbstractThe aim of this study was to elucidate the embryological origins of the unique neuronal progenitor cells that form the rostral migratory stream (RMS), the path traversed by cells from the anterior part of the forebrain subventricular zone (SVZa) en route to the olfactory bulb. To determine when and where cells constituting the RMS initially exhibit their characteristic neuronal phenotype and high mitotic capacity, we analyzed the cells of the rat forebrain between embryonic day 14 (E14) and postnatal day 2 (P2). At E14, cells with a neuronal phenotype were observed within the ventricular zone in close proximity to the mantle layer of the future olfactory bulb. By E15, cells expressing neuronal markers are also PSA‐NCAM immunoreactive and become aligned in chains of similarly oriented cells, a hallmark of the postnatal RMS. The cells that form chains organize into a patch that enlarges in the anterior‐posterior and medial‐lateral dimensions from E16 to E22 (birth). In comparing the forebrain cytoarchitecture to the pattern of cell type‐specific staining, the patch constitutes only the central part of the proximal RMS. Early during development, the region of the RMS surrounding the patch expresses low levels of PSA‐NCAM and neuron‐specific markers. The proliferative activity of cells forming the patch vs. nonpatch regions of the RMS was analyzed following a short bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) exposure. Between E15 and E22, the patch can be recognized by the mitotic activity of its cells; the cells of the patch incorporate less BrdU than the nonpatch portion of the RMS. The time course of appearance of cells forming the RMS indicates that the RMS arises in advance and independently of the cortical SVZ. Although the patch and the nonpatch regions of the embryonic RMS appear to merge postnatally, the two regions may originate separately under the influence of distinct intrinsic and extrinsic factors. J. Comp. Neurol. 463:402–418, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.