Stem cells in neurology--current perspectives.

UNLABELLED: Central nervous system (CNS) restoration is an important clinical challenge and stem cell transplantation has been considered a promising therapeutic option for many neurological diseases.

OBJECTIVE

The present review aims to briefly describe stem cell biology, as well as to outline the clinical application of stem cells in the treatment of diseases of the CNS.

METHOD: Literature review of animal and human clinical experimental trials, using the following key words: "stem cell", "neurogenesis", "Parkinson", "Huntington", "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis", "traumatic brain injury", "spinal cord injury", "ischemic stroke", and "demyelinating diseases".

CONCLUSION

Major recent advances in stem cell research have brought us several steps closer to their effective clinical application, which aims to develop efficient ways of regenerating the damaged CNS.