An animal model was used by researchers to transplant seizure-inhibiting, human embryonic stem cell-derived neurons into brains of mice. The research shows that stem cell therapy reduces seizures. Mouse cells mature much more quickly as compared to those of humans. The research was conducted by McLean Hospital and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. Neurons integrated into the mouse brains and began to receive neuronal activity.
Researchers had previously started to check the workings of neurons of mankind. However they later moved on to testing impact on epilepsy. Researcher Sangmi Chung, assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard said, “If we compare it with the mouse [model], we believe it will be years, not week. I think it’s really good news in terms of transplantation— even maturing, not fully mature [cells] still work. Hopefully, especially considering the really desperate population of patients, hopefully it will move fast.”
The previous researches conducted in the similar field have shown that increasing inhibition in the brain helps to bring under control seizures. 65 million people worldwide are affected by epileptic seizures, which can cause convulsions, loss of consciousness and other neurological symptoms. Patients are treated with anti-seizure drugs, and may choose to have a portion of their brain removed.
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