Some very interesting bits in this paper.
It may be time to combine stem cell mechanisms and stem cell transplant with recent advances in MRI diagnosis and positron-emission tomography (PET) imaging and progress in computational neuroscience, potentially targeting brain pathology to cognitive impairments.
Transplantation of interneurons may facilitate host preceding neurons that can excite, inhibit, or stop the action of other neurons. Combined with an artificial activation on transplanted cells and transplant area, the connection between transplanted neurons and host neurons of high plasticity via synaptic formation may improve neuro-transmission, maintain balances between these cells and between excitatory and inhibitory signals, and help the individual function normally (i.e., cognition, learning and memory, etc.).
Intranasal administration has been considered as an efficient and non-invasive medication route to the brain or even for systemic administration to the CNS (59). The cells delivered within the nasal cavity have demonstrated the ability to migrate towards different brain regions, including the brainstem regions, cerebellum, cortex, hippocampus, olfactory bulb, and striatum, and even to the spinal cord (60). Moreover, the intranasal delivery of cells to targeted regions is less likely to generate ectopic tissue compared to systematic injections.
Intranasal delivery of stem cells has been demonstrated to increase retention and improve neurological/psychiatric outcomes. It is expected to facilitate cell homing toward the CNS and to avoid some potential side effects caused by other methods such as intravascular administration. Since there are intranasally delivered peptides, small molecules, viruses, plasmid, and bacterial phages that demonstrate successive entry into the brain, we also expect treatment via the intranasal delivery of cells to the CNS to be adopted for translation to the clinic.
Promotion of oligodendrogenesis and myelination can lead to functional benefits and regeneration to combat abnormal neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration of SMI. Modulation of stem cells and physiological Ca2±dependent/activated proteins will be tested in future pre-clinical models and translational studies. Wnt signaling may be critical regulators of these mechanisms in psychiatry and stem cell transplantation therapy for regeneration and repair. Intranasal delivery of hypoxic preconditioned stem cells may be the most appropriate method for psychotic disorders. Neuroimaging is useful in the pathophysiological study of SMI and the evaluation for treatments based on changes in neural activities and WM integrity. Higher-resolution precise imaging may further allow the development of stem cell treatment targeting specific brain regions.
Always nice to read things like “translation to the clinic” ie, eventually using it in people. It looks like this paper is a Chinese/American collaboration, and I notice that they cited JJ Donnegan, one of the people who was doing stem cell treatment in rodent models of SZ, but that she is not an author on this paper.