Neural Stem Cells And Therapy

This book is a collective work of international experts in the neural stem cell field. The book incorporates the characterization of embryonic and adult neural stem cells in both invertebrates and vertebrates. It highlights the history and the most advanced discoveries in neural stem cells, and summarizes the mechanisms of neural stem cell development. In particular, this book provides strategies and discusses the challenges of utilizing neural stem cells for therapy of neurological disorders and brain and spinal cord injuries. It is suitable for general readers, students, doctors and researchers who are interested in understanding the principles of and new discoveries in neural stem cells and therapy.

Neural Stem Cells and Adult Neurogenesis provides graduate students and neuroscientists with a basic understanding of what neural stem cells are and the cell types they produce. This early graduate level reference describes their physiology and potential for medicine and provides students with fundamental stem cell information. An overview of stem cell sources in the human body and a brief mention of relevant diseases provide context for the value of this knowledge. The book also includes chapters on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), the methods used to obtain them, and a review of the ethical challenges associated with stem cell research. For each region, the book provides a description of its neurogenic niche, cellular and molecular biology, and information on the neurons' contribution to normal and diseased brain function. The level of information is appropriate for early graduate students, introducing technology and molecular biology in an accessible format. Provides a basic understanding of what a stem cell is, the different types, and their potential in health and research Details adult neurogenesis and its role in behavior, stroke and disease Includes walkthrough and technology boxes that illustrate experimental concepts, new approaches and techniques

This book is a collective work of international experts in the neural stem cell field. The book incorporates the characterization of embryonic and adult neural stem cells in both invertebrates and vertebrates. It highlights the history and the most advanced discoveries in neural stem cells, and summarizes the mechanisms of neural stem cell development. In particular, this book provides strategies and discusses the challenges of utilizing neural stem cells for therapy of neurological disorders and brain and spinal cord injuries. It is suitable for general readers, students, doctors and researchers who are interested in understanding the principles of and new discoveries in neural stem cells and therapy.

This book is a comprehensive guide on neural stem cell behavior in health and disease. The book confers the altered behavior of endogenous neural stem cells in neurodegenerative disease conditions and the prospects of neural stem cell therapy for alleviating brain dysfunction in a variety of neurodegenerative disorders. Neural stem cell activity and neurogenesis in the adult brain is now confirmed in virtually all mammalian species including humans. Hence, a series of chapters in the first half of the book discusses the current knowledge on mechanisms of neural stem cell activity, the extent and functional significance of neurogenesis in the adult brain under normal, aged and disease environments, the susceptibility of neural stem cells and the plasticity of neurogenesis to alcohol, drugs of abuse and anesthetic agents, and advanced techniques that trigger neurogenesis in non-neurogenic regions. A second series of chapters in this book are focused on discussing the promise and efficacy of grafting of neural stem cells and/or other stem cells for treating neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, stroke, temporal lobe epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease and spinal cord injury. The final chapter confers on advances that are made in manufacturing a variety of neural cell types from human pluripotent stem cells that can be used as donor cells for cell transplantation.

Jasper's Basic Mechanisms, Fourth Edition, is the newest most ambitious and now clinically relevant publishing project to build on the four-decade legacy of the Jasper's series. In keeping with the original goal of searching for "a better understanding of the epilepsies and rational methods of prevention and treatment.", the book represents an encyclopedic compendium neurobiological mechanisms of seizures, epileptogenesis, epilepsy genetics and comordid conditions. Of practical importance to the clinician, and new to this edition are disease mechanisms of genetic epilepsies and therapeutic approaches, ranging from novel antiepileptic drug targets to cell and gene therapies.

Over the last decade, neural stem cell research has provided penetrating insights into the plasticity and regenerative potential of the brain. Stem cells have been isolated from embryonic as well as adult central nervous system (CNS). Many non-CNS mammalian tissues also contain stem cells with a more limited repertoire: the replacement of tissue-specific cells throughout the li- time of the organism. Progress has been made in understanding fundamental stem cell properties that depend on the interplay of extrinsic signaling factors with intrinsic genetic programs within critical time frames. With this growing knowledge, scientists have been able to change a neural stem cell’s fate. - der certain conditions, neural stem cells have been induced to differentiate into cells outside the expected neural lineage and conversely, stem cells from nonneural tissue have been shown to transdifferentiate into cells with distinct neural phenotypes. At the moment, there is an accelerated effort to identify a readily ava- able, socially acceptable stem cell that can be induced to proliferate in an und- ferentiated state and that can be manipulated at will to generate diverse cells types. We are on the threshold of a great new therapeutic era of cellular therapy that has as great, if not greater, potential as the current pharmacologic era, g- rified by antibiotics, anesthetics, pain killers, immunosuppressants, and psyc- tropics.

Resident Stem Cells and Regenerative Therapy: Sources and Clinical Applications, Second Edition presents the main findings to date and the important factors to be considered when contemplating resident stem cells in regenerative therapies. Chapters on cardiac, brain, neural, liver, kidney, skeletal muscle, bone, pancreatic, skin and lung resident stem cells will assist in defining the level of success that has been achieved and the direction for the road ahead. With contributions from leading laboratories, open questions related to resident stem cells and regenerative therapies will also be presented for debate. In the last several decades, stem cells have greatly impacted the scientific and lay communities, providing huge advances in the treatment of devastating human diseases, including myocardial infarction, diabetes, muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, cirrhosis, and osteoporosis. Alongside debates of induced pluripotent stem cells and embryonic stem cells has been the discovery of adult stem cells in many different tissues. While these organ resident or progenitor stem cells offer prospects to contribute to tissue regeneration, they also present challenges because of the complexity of organ structures. Highlights basic research in tissue specific stem cells, experiments with animal models, and clinical trials that are transforming the field of regeneration Provides a clear understanding of endogenous stem cells, their role in current regenerative therapies, and prospects for future research Reports on the main-stream clinical approaches and in vivo experiments published in primary literature to help categorizes the advances in various aspects of regenerative therapy and illustrate opportunities for clinical applications

Recent scientific breakthroughs, celebrity patient advocates, and conflicting religious beliefs have come together to bring the state of stem cell researchâ€"specifically embryonic stem cell researchâ€"into the political crosshairs. President Bush's watershed policy statement allows federal funding for embryonic stem cell research but only on a limited number of stem cell lines. Millions of Americans could be affected by the continuing political debate among policymakers and the public. Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine provides a deeper exploration of the biological, ethical, and funding questions prompted by the therapeutic potential of undifferentiated human cells. In terms accessible to lay readers, the book summarizes what we know about adult and embryonic stem cells and discusses how to go about the transition from mouse studies to research that has therapeutic implications for people. Perhaps most important, Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine also provides an overview of the moral and ethical problems that arise from the use of embryonic stem cells. This timely book compares the impact of public and private research funding and discusses approaches to appropriate research oversight. Based on the insights of leading scientists, ethicists, and other authorities, the book offers authoritative recommendations regarding the use of existing stem cell lines versus new lines in research, the important role of the federal government in this field of research, and other fundamental issues.