Neurology, Addiction and Psychiatry Conference

Stem cells are going to be the best future directions in neuro-biological treatments; they hold great promise for repairing damaged neurons, promoting brain regeneration, and offering some hope for many neurodegenerative diseases under treatment. Among their unique characteristics there is their capacity to differentiate into several cell types, including neurons, the most affected cells in most neurological disorders. These cells are very versatile, and they have a tremendous potential for curing diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's disease, ALS, and even MS-which involve damaged cells and the lost functionality of zones of the brain and the nervous system.

One of the major problems found especially in the persons afflicted with neurodegenerative diseases or serious head injuries is that the ability of the brain to regenerate itself is not too great. But neural stem cells rescue such hopes as well. These are specialized cells that are capable of further development to give rise to neurons and glial cells-they would be crucial in maintaining healthy brain function. In this stem cell therapy, the cells introduced into the damaged sites of the central nervous system can bring about neurogenesis-new neuron generation-as well as tissue repair. So there are hopes for patients with previously untreatable neurological conditions.

This position assumes that long-term replacement of dopamine-producing neurons lost in the brain is held to be the long-term goal of stem cell-based therapies in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, and thereby, transplantation of healthy neural stem cells or their iPS cell reprogrammed counterparts restores dopaminergic function in the brain, thus alleviating symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, and bradykinesia. Similarly, in Alzheimer's disease, stem cells are being looked at as a potential therapeutic tool to repair the damaged neuronal networks caused by beta amyloid plaques and tau tangles, two main pathological characteristics of the disease.

Another promising area for stem cell treatment is the repair of spinal cord injuries. Stem cell therapies can prompt the regeneration of damaged neurons and glial cells from trauma, thus allowing a formerly paralyzed patient to be restored to his level of motor and sensory functions.

Although stem cell therapy for neurological conditions is still purely experimental, discoveries and advancements in stem cell research and regenerative medicine are opening up rapidly. For example, they explore autologous stem cell transplantation, which only uses a patient's own cells to avoid immune rejection, and gene-editing technologies such as CRISPR to correct genetic mutations before the transplantation, thus amplifying the therapeutic potential of stem cells.

Neuro-biological role of stem cells in treatment: It is a very promising and controversial approach for neurodegenerative disorders and head injuries. Continued research in the areas of stem cell-based therapies will continue to bring hope for recovery of parts of the brain, a finer quality of life, and long-term solutions of debilitating neurological conditions.