Can stem cell therapy speed recovery from stroke? This relatively recent breakthrough in stroke treatment shows great promise, with studies showing advantages of stem cell therapy after neurological injury.
One study using stem cell therapy reported that some participants were capable of regain the flexibility to walk and now not needed a wheelchair. This text will introduce you to the concepts of stem cell therapy for stroke and give you information to assist you to understand your options when considering stem cell therapy.
Follow the links below to read an article discussing how stem cell therapy for stroke can speed recovery:
What’s stem cell therapy?
To know stem cell therapy for stroke, you first need to know stem cells. Stem cells are “a category of undifferentiated cells that may differentiate into specialized cell types,” based on Medical News Today.
In other words, they’re unspecified cells which have the potential to grow to be specialized cells depending on their location. For instance, stem cells can grow to be heart cells, nerve cells, or blood cells depending on where they’re placed.
As well as, stem cells can divide indefinitely, producing other stem cells or specialized cells. On this case, the brand new cells could also be ideal for replacing damaged cells attributable to a neurological injury, similar to a stroke.
Subsequently, when stem cells are implanted into areas of the brain affected by a stroke, they ideally differentiate into neurons and other supporting cells, similar to glial cells, which serve to support signal transmission between neurons. There are a selection of supporting cells required to advertise recovery that stem cells become, depending on their location.
How does stem cell therapy work for stroke patients?
Stem cells might be injected directly into the tissue surrounding damaged areas of the brain. This is named intracerebral injection and is essentially the most invasive stem cell therapy for stroke since it is a type of brain surgery. The advantage is that each one the stem cells are placed directly into the realm that needs them.
Intravenous injections are less dangerous and really easy to manage. Nevertheless, these stem cells are injected into veins, so most of the stem cells may not reach the brain tissue. Stem cells can be injected into arteries that directly feed the brain, similar to the carotid artery. Or they’re injected into the ventricles of the brain to replenish the cerebrospinal fluid during which the brain floats. There are benefits and drawbacks to the various methods of administration.
Leading stem cell researcher Dr. Gary Steinberg describes the effect of stem cells on the brain:
“…These [stem] These cells don’t integrate into the brain in the long run and don’t grow to be neurons that reproduce circuits. They work by releasing very powerful growth aspects, molecules and proteins that enhance natural regeneration mechanisms, similar to the formation of recent neuronal synapses and latest blood vessels, and have a big impact on the modulation of the immune system. And in this fashion, we consider, the adult brain changes into the brain of a newborn or an infant, which has an amazing capability to regenerate after injury.”
Stem cells create an environment within the brain that resembles a young cell-regenerating machine, which helps stimulate neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the flexibility of the central nervous system to reorganize its circuits based on our behaviors.
Research Supports Stem Cell Therapy for Stroke
Although Dr. Steinberg clinical trial included just 18 patients, the outcomes of those stem cell studies were impressive. Participants reported significant motor improvements. One patient particularly, Sonia Coontz, described her limbs as “waking up” after years of sleep following a stroke.
To quantify these results, an 11.4-point improvement in motor function was recorded based on the Fugl-Meyer test, a scale used to measure patients’ motor deficits. These results translate into significant improvements in participants’ mobility and use of their upper and lower limbs.
To cite Steinberg again,
“It wasn’t just, ‘They couldn’t move their thumb, and now they’ll.’ Patients who were previously in wheelchairs are actually walking.”
As well as, many preclinical studies stem cell therapy has been shown to reinforce functional recovery after acute, subacute, and chronic stroke. Nevertheless, many questions remain about mechanisms How stem cells support the healing process stays unanswered.
Research into stem cell therapy for stroke is showing promising results, nevertheless it is within the early stages of development. Stem cell therapy has been shown to significantly improve neurological function in animal models. Stem cell therapy for stroke recovery is within the early stages of clinical trials. Nevertheless, studies with mesenchymal stem cells and neural stem cells are showing promising results.
One in all the most important aspects influencing the usage of stem cell therapy for stroke recovery is the determination of, kind of stem cell to make use of. There are a lot of sorts of stem cells, including embryonic, mesenchymal, neural, and induced pluripotent stem cells. While each kind of stem cell has its own specific helpful properties, research seems to suggest that mesenchymal stem cells AND neural stem cells have the best likelihood of getting used in recovery after a stroke.
Along with determining which kind of stem cell is right for treating stroke, other aspects should be considered, similar to optimal timing of administration and dosage.
How much will stem cell therapy for stroke cost?
When you are keen on stem cell therapy for stroke, there are some initial steps it’s essential take. Search clinical trials in your areaand you might find that you simply meet their criteria to grow to be a subject of those ongoing studies. Clinical trials are frequently free because most of them are frequently funded by the federal government or private individuals, leading to minimal or no cost to the themes.
Find stem cell clinical trials in your area by going to this clinical trials website and kind “stroke” under conditionsand kind “stem cell” in the sphere other terms.
Stem cell therapy is just not essential for stroke recovery
It will be significant to know that stem cell therapy is just not a requirement for stroke recovery. While stem cell therapy appears to be a really promising treatment for the longer term, it remains to be in the event phase.
Stroke recovery focuses on the brain’s ability to grow through neuroplasticity. Constantly practicing movements that were weakened by stroke stimulates the brain and strengthens neural control of muscles. This encourages healthy, undamaged areas of the brain to rewire and resume functioning after stroke.
Subsequently, if you proceed to take part in therapy and perform repetitive movement exercises, you stimulate the brain and promote functional recovery. Stroke rehabilitation can occur even many years after the initial injury.
At Flint Rehab, we hear many first-hand success stories. For instance, one patient who used MusicGlove Hand Therapy improved hand function 24 years after a stroke. One other patient recovered from paralysis 7 years after a stroke using FitMi home therapy. Brain neuroplasticity is a continuous process, and improving function to take part in every day life is all the time possible.
Understanding Stem Cells in Stroke Recovery
Stem cell therapy is a promising procedure that might help people get better from stroke. It really works by transplanting stem cells into the brain tissue surrounding the stroke site. The stem cells increase the brain’s ability to release growth aspects, molecules, and proteins that stimulate neuroplasticity and other recovery mechanisms.
Regardless of how long it has been since your stroke, there may be hope that stem cell therapy can assist. When combined with traditional neurological rehabilitation, which uses neuroplasticity to revive function, stem cell therapy has great potential for optimal recovery.
We hope this text has deepened your knowledge about stem cell therapy for stroke.