[Stem cells and neural repair].
The presence of stem cells in the central nervous system of adult rodents has been suspected some forty years ago. However, it is only since two decades that the ability of those cells to give rise to neurons has been demonstrated in two regions of the CNS, the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus and the olfactory bulb. It is only recently that stem cells have been identified in the hippocampus of adult Humans. Stem cells have been transplanted in animal models of Nervous pathologies, to compensate for a deficit in neurotransmitters (Parkinson's disease) or of trophic factors (Spinal cord injury) with encouraging but not decisive results. Future progresses are expected from the us of intrinsic stem cells whose fate could be controlled thanks to the modern tools of gene therapy.
Privat
Alain
A
Inserm U583, Institut des neurosciences, 80 rue Augustin Eloi, 34295 Montpellier.
D000818:Animals; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000628:therapy; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000628:therapy; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*