Motor and cognitive recovery induced by bone marrow stem cells grafted to striatum and hippocampus of impaired aged rats: functional and therapeutic considerations

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Caridad I FernándezJosé Y Bauza

Abstract

Impairments in motor coordination and cognition in normal and pathological aging are often accompanied by structural changes, that is, loss of synapses and neurons. Also, it has been shown recently that bone marrow stem cells can give origin to cells of different tissues, including neural cells. Given the therapeutic implications of increasing health and functional possibilities in the aged brain, we have tested the effects of rat femur bone marrow stem cells (rBMSCs) grafting to the striatum hippocampus of aged rats with motor or cognitive deficits, respectively. Bone marrow cells were transduced with an adenovirus driving the expression of green fluorescence protein (GFP) and other classic stains to determine their migration, engraftment, differentiation, and associated behavioral recovery. Five weeks after it, control and grafted rats were re-evaluated with the Morris Water Maze test, Passive avoidance, open-field, motor coordination, and Marshall tests and perfused. Brains were processed and analyzed for fluorescent protein expression. GFP was detected in cells with some differentiation degree into neural-like cells. Their exact phenotype is yet to be determined. A significant functional recovery was observed 6 weeks after ...Continue Reading

References

Nov 9, 2000·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·K S AboodyE Y Snyder
Jan 23, 2003·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Eva MezeyBarbara Crain
Mar 4, 2003·Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine·T L Limke, Mahendra S Rao

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

May 2, 2006·Stem Cells and Development·Chris PierretMark D Kirk

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Basal Forebrain- Circuits

Basal forebrain is a region in the brain important for production of acetylcholine and is the major cholinergic output of the CNS. Discover the latest research on circuits in the basal forebrain here.

Adult Stem Cells

Adult stem cells reside in unique niches that provide vital cues for their survival, self-renewal, and differentiation. They hold great promise for use in tissue repair and regeneration as a novel therapeutic strategies. Here is the latest research.

Basal Ganglia

Basal Ganglia are a group of subcortical nuclei in the brain associated with control of voluntary motor movements, procedural and habit learning, emotion, and cognition. Here is the latest research.