Human stem cell-derived neuron transplants reduce seizures in mice

Stem cell transplantation study at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute may lead to a potential strategy to help epileptics

Harvard Stem Cell Institute scientists at McLean Hospital (MA, USA) have new evidence that stem cell transplantation could be a potential strategy to help epileptics who do not respond to anti-seizure drugs. The study was recently published in Cell Stem Cell.

The study involved transplanting seizure-inhibiting, human embryonic stem cell-derived neurons into the brains of mice with a common form of epilepsy. Half of the mice who received the transplanted neurons no longer had seizures, while the other half experienced a significant drop in seizure frequency.

“After the transplantation we observed that the human neurons integrate into the epileptic brain,” commented Sangmi Chung, Associate Neurobiologist at McLean. “The transplanted neurons begin to receive excitatory input from host neurons and in turn generate inhibitory responses that reverse the electrical hyperactivity that cause seizures.”

While the results are encouraging, Chung noted that further primate studies are needed as well as a process to purify interneurons, which are known to inhibit seizures, for transplantation before a treatment in humans can be considered.

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Sources:

Chung S, Cunningham M, Leung A et al. hPSC-derived maturing GABAergic interneurons ameliorate seizures and abnormal behavior in epileptic mice. Cell Stem Cell, doi:10.1016/j.stem.2014.10.006 (2014) (Epub ahead of print); Harvard Stem Cell Institute press release: http://hsci.harvard.edu/news/human-stem-cell-derived-neuron-transplants-reduce-seizures-mice