It has been reported that induced neural stem cells(iNSCs) can be obtained from rodent and human somatic cells through the forced expression of defined factors. Two different approaches have been successfully used to obtain iNSCs:a direct method and an indirect method which involves an unstable intermediate state.Compared with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and embryonic stem cells(ESCs),iNSCs are committed towards neural lineage, enabling them with a lower risk of tumorigenicity and more efficient transdifferentiation which makes it suitable for clinical use in the future.