http://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2007/09/grafts_of_embryonic_neurons_re.php#more
French researchers have demonstrated for the first time that embryonic cells grafted into the brains of mice with damaged motor cortices can re-establish damaged connections precisely, so that disrupted neural circuitry is reconstructed.
The findings raise the possibility that cell-based therapies could be used to repair the damage that occurs with brain injury, or as a result of various neurodegenerative diseases.
Researchers have experimented with cell transplantation since the early 1970s, particularly to try and develop therapies for Parkinson's Disease. But they have always faced the difficulty of distinguishing between grafted cells and the host tissue.
Gaillard, et al used donor tissue came from transgenic mice that express green fluorescent protein in all neurons. The transplanted cells, and the projections they formed, could, therefore easily be characterized in the host animals.
The French team anaesthetized adult mice, and removed their motor cortices using a suction syringe. Immediately afterwards, motor cortical tissue from donor embryos was transplanted into the lesioned site. Care was taken to maintain the original orientation of the donor tissue during the transplantation.
Gaillard, et al used donor tissue came from transgenic mice that express green fluorescent protein in all neurons. The transplanted cells, and the projections they formed, could, therefore easily be characterized in the host animals.
The French team anaesthetized adult mice, and removed their motor cortices using a suction syringe. Immediately afterwards, motor cortical tissue from donor embryos was transplanted into the lesioned site. Care was taken to maintain the original orientation of the donor tissue during the transplantation.
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