Scientists have explained how human neural stem cells repair cognitive function after cancer treatments. According
to UC Irvine researchers, stem cell treatments are showing promise for
reversing learning and memory deficits after chemotherapy. In
preclinical studies using rodents, they found that stem cells
transplanted one week after the completion of a series of chemotherapy
sessions restored a range of cognitive functions, as measured one month
later using a comprehensive platform of behavioral testing. In contrast,
rats not treated with stem cells showed significant learning and memory
impairment.
The frequent use of chemotherapy
to combat multiple cancers could produce severe cognitive dysfunction,
often referred to as "chemobrain," which can persist and manifest in
many ways long after the end of treatments in as many as 75 percent of
survivors, a problem of particular concern with pediatric patients.
Charles
Limoli, a UCI professor of radiation oncology, said that the findings
provide the first solid evidence that transplantation of human neural
stem cells can be used to reverse chemotherapeutic-induced damage of
healthy tissue in the brain.
For
the study, adult neural stem cells were transplanted into the brains of
rats after chemotherapy. They migrated throughout the hippocampus,
where they survived and differentiated into multiple neural cell types.
Additionally, these cells triggered the secretion of neurotrophic growth
factors that helped rebuild wounded neurons.
Importantly,
Limoli and his colleagues found that engrafted cells protected the host
neurons, thereby preventing the loss or promoting the repair of damaged
neurons and their finer structural elements, referred to as dendritic
spines.
The study suggests
that stem cell therapies may one day be implemented in the clinic to
provide relief to patients suffering from cognitive impairments incurred
as a result of their cancer treatments, Limoli said.
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