title: [Neuro spheres as a source of cells for repair of the central nervous system].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Neurons and oligodendrocytes are terminally differentiated cells. This means that once they have differentiated from their precursor cells, they cannot proliferate. A direct consequence of this type of differentiation is that cell repair is impossible in areas where neurodegenerative disease have caused the death of neurons and oligodendroglia. Recently multipotential neuroepithelial precursors of the central nervous system (CNS) have been isolated and characterized in vitro.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study we review the capacity for nervous repair of these neuroepithelial precursors from the neurobiological point of view. These cells, known as neuro-spheres can be cultivated, amplified and cryopreserved for subsequent transplanting. Already there are many studies showing how neuro-spheres maintain their capacity for differentiation in vivo and that they can reach certain localized areas of the CNS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  From this review we conclude that through the study and manipulation of these neuro-spheres, new goals in CNS repair may be achieved.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, España. fanarrag@galeno.medi.unican.es
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Fanarraga
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000502:physiology; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009410:Nerve Degeneration; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000502:physiology*; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor
vernacular_title: Las neuroesferas como fuente celular para la reparación del sistema nervioso central.