Neuronal stem cells

Abstract Experiments performed in recent years have shown that adult cells can be dedifferentiated to produce precursor cells for essentially any class of neuron. In cultured neurons from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and normal patients, researchers can compare differences. Also drugs can be tested for their ability to prevent Aβ plaques and tau-containing neurofibrillary tangles in cultured neurons from AD patients. There is now evidence that dopaminergic neuronal precursors can replace dead or injured dopaminergic cells in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease. Also GABAergic neuronal precursors have been shown to replace dying GABAergic neurons in mouse models of schizophrenia and autism. These transplants employ trophic factor–receptor interactions to reach the appropriate destination.