The stem cell therapy is a promising method in treatment of the traumatic nerve fiber injuries. And the clinical use of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells has been approved by FDA. However, the results are inconsistent from both human study and animal research, it often difficult to visualize the reconstruction of the motor circuits. A separate application of DTI could not precisely reveal white matter integrity. Combining BOLD-fMRI with diffusion tensor-based tractography (DTT), to detect neural activities in the brain involved in the motor function restore and then using the two seeds method to reconstruct the nerve fibers between these connecting regions. The main aim of this study: i. To characterize and evaluate functional and anatomical changes of nerve fiber injuries after umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells transplantation with BOLD drived-DTI. ii. To determine the therapeutic efficiency of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells and also the utility of the integration of BOLD-fMRI and DTI. iii. To correlate the imaging results with the electrophysiology outcomes.
Nowadays, the stem cell therapy is a promising method in treatment of the traumatic nerve fiber injuries. And the clinical use of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells has been approved by FDA. However, the results are inconsistent from both human study and animal research, it often difficult to visualize the reconstruction of the motor circuits. A separate application of DTI could not precisely reveal white matter integrity. Combining blood oxygen level-dependent(BOLD)-functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI) with diffusion tensor-based tractography (DTT), to detect neural activities in the brain involved in the motor function restore and then using the two seeds method to reconstruct the nerve fibers between these connecting regions. The main aim of this study: i. To characterize and evaluate functional and anatomical changes of nerve fiber injuries after umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells transplantation with BOLD drived-diffusion tensor imaging(DTI). ii. To determine the therapeutic efficiency of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells and also the utility of the integration of BOLD-fMRI and DTI. iii. To correlate the imaging results with the electrophysiology outcomes.