Adult neurogenesis is restricted to two specific neurogenic niches: the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampus and the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles. The cellular players within these niches are important for the regulation of the neural stem/progenitor cell development and coordination of cell genesis. Increasing evidence suggests an important role for astrocytes in the neurogenic niche. Previously we showed that ablating the intermediate filament proteins glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin facilitates regeneration and increases plasticity after injury and neural grafting. Here, we investigated the role of GFAP and vimentin in the regulation of endogenous neurogenesis. Ablation of GFAP and vimentin reduced Notch signaling from astrocytes and increased the number of newly born neurons. These findings correlated with enhanced learning and memory and greater plasticity in the adult hippocampus in response to injury and running. We conclude that intermediate filament proteins in astrocytes are important for astrocyte-mediated control of neurogenesis and that this control is at least partially mediated by Notch signaling. Thus, changing the intrinsic properties of astrocytes by modulating intermediate filament proteins affects the efficiency and plasticity of the neurogenic niche.