Oct. 21, 2012 The brain's key "breeder" cells, it turns out, do
more than that. They secrete substances that boost the numbers
and strength of critical brain-based immune cells believed to
play a vital role in brain health. This finding adds a new
dimension to our understanding of how resident stem cells and
stem cell transplants may improve brain function. Many
researchers believe that these cells may be able to regenerate
damaged brain tissue by integrating into circuits that have been
eroded by neurodegenerative disease or destroyed by injury. But
new findings by scientists at the Stanford University School of
Medicine suggest that another process, which has not been fully
appreciated, could be a part of the equation as well. The
findings appear in a study that will be published online Oct. 21
in Nature Neuroscience. "Transplanting neural stem cells into
experimental animals' brains shows signs of being able to speed
recovery from stroke and possibly neurodegenerative disease as
well," said Tony Wyss-Coray