ALS and Neural Stem Cells

In ALS, also known as motor neuron disease or Lou Gehrig's disease, the nerve cells in
the spinal cord die, gradually causing the person to lose their ability to move and eventually,
breathe.
Neural stem cells are the precursors of all brain cells. They can self-renew, make more
neural stem cells and differentiate into nerve cells or other brain cells. They can also rescue
nerve cells that don't work properly and help preserve and regenerate brain tissue.

What the Evidence Shows

The accumulation of evidence that Teng and colleagues reviewed shows that transplanting
neural stem cells (both mouse and human) into various levels in the spinal cords of mice
bred to have familial ALS, slowed the disease down, and improved motor function and
breathing. Also, 25% of the treated mice lived three to four times longer than untreated
mice.
Teng says:
"This work sheds new light on detrimental roles played by non-neuronal cells in triggering
motor neuron death, and these events should be targeted for developing more effective
therapeutics to treat ALS."