Transplanted Nerve Cells Survive a Quarter of a Century in Parkinson’s Disease Patient

0
1296

Some patients who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease have undergone transplants. These transplants involve inputting new nerve cells into the brains of these patients. Some of these patients see improvement, some notice nothing and a few noticed unpleasant side effects. However, based on this study, we now know that these transplanted nerve cells can survive for many years within patients while restoring normal dopamine production in the part of the brain where they reside. “This study is completely unique,” says Professor Anders Bjorklund. “No transplanted Parkinson’s patient has even been followed so closely and over such a long period of time. The patient was also unique in the sense that the nerve cells were only transplanted to one hemisphere of the brain, which meant that the other, which did not receive any transplant, could function as a control. What we have learned from the study of this patient will be of great value for future attempts to transplant dopamine-producing nerve cells obtained from stem cells, a new development led by researchers in Lund.” To read more on this study, click here

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
o