There is great interest in the regenerative potential of the neural stem cells and progenitors that populate the subventricular zone (SVZ). However, a comprehensive understanding of SVZ cell responses to brain in-juries has been hindered by the lack of sensitive approaches to study the cellular composition of this niche. Here we review progress being made in deciphering the cells of the SVZ gleaned from the use of a recently designed lfow cytometry panel that allows SVZ cells to be parsed into multiple subsets of progenitors as well as putative stem cells. We review how this approach has begun to unmask both the heterogeneity of SVZ cells as well as the dynamic shifts in cell populations with neonatal and pediatric brain injuries. We also discuss how lfow cytometric analyses also have begun to reveal how speciifc cytokines, such as Leuke-mia inhibitory factor are coordinating SVZ responses to injury.