Stem cell treatment for neurological disorders.....

Stem cells may be the person’s own cells (a procedure called autologous transplantation) or those of a donor (a procedure called allogenic transplantation). When the person’s own stem cells are used, they are collected before chemotherapy or radiation therapy because these treatments can damage stem cells. They are injected back into the body after the treatment.

The sources of stem cells are varied such as pre-implantation embryos, children, adults, aborted fetuses, embryos, umbilical cord, menstrual blood, amniotic fluid and placenta

New research shows that transplanted stem cells migrate to the damaged areas and assume the function of neurons, holding out the promise of therapies for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, spinal cord injury, stroke, Cerebral palsy, Battens disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

The therapeutic use of stem cells, already promising radical new treatments for cancer, immune-related diseases, and other medical conditions, may someday be extended to repairing and replenishing the brain. In a study published in the February 19, 2002, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers exposed the spinal cord of a rat to injury, paralyzing the animal’s hind limbs and lower body. Stem cells grown in exponential numbers in the laboratory were then injected into the site of the injury. It was seen that week after the injury, motor function improved dramatically..