This detailed volume presents validated and well-adapted procedures involving humanized and/or stem cell-based neural model systems that have proven helpful in better understanding the essential brain functions involved in the pathogenesis of brain disorders. The book explores the generation of multiple neural cell types in 2D and 3D as well as cutting-edge techniques to assay neural function. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step and readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Stem Cell-Based Neural Model Systems for Brain Disorders serves as an essential resource for researchers and students in neuroscience, stem cell biology, and related fields.

This text highlights the endogenous regenerative potential of the central nervous system in neonates and juveniles and discusses possible ways it might be manipulated for medical purposes. The first section provides a descriptive summary of the salient steps of human brain development with a discussion of comparisons with other mammalian brains. It also provides a historical perspective on our understanding of ongoing brain development throughout the lifespan and serve to introduce the concept of brain plasticity following injury. The second part is devoted to the endogenous reparative potential of the brain, including its limitations, and articles focusing on defined pathologies (e.g. anoxia/hypoxia, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury and stress) in animal models and in humans pinpoint eventual ways these pathologies might be manipulated. The third and final focuses on the "dark side" of stem cells for brain repair or of the manipulation of spontaneous adaptive events after injury (e.g. genomic instability, sensitization to cancerous transformation and defective neural networks).

This book is a comprehensive guide on neural stem cell behavior in health and disease. The book confers the altered behavior of endogenous neural stem cells in neurodegenerative disease conditions and the prospects of neural stem cell therapy for alleviating brain dysfunction in a variety of neurodegenerative disorders.Neural stem cell activity and neurogenesis in the adult brain is now confirmed in virtually all mammalian species including humans. Hence, a series of chapters in the first half of the book discusses the current knowledge on mechanisms of neural stem cell activity, the extent and functional significance of neurogenesis in the adult brain under normal, aged and disease environments, the susceptibility of neural stem cells and the plasticity of neurogenesis to alcohol, drugs of abuse and anesthetic agents, and advanced techniques that trigger neurogenesis in non-neurogenic regions.A second series of chapters in this book are focused on discussing the promise and efficacy of grafting of neural stem cells and/or other stem cells for treating neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease, stroke, temporal lobe epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease and spinal cord injury. The final chapter confers on advances that are made in manufacturing a variety of neural cell types from human pluripotent stem cells that can be used as donor cells for cell transplantation.

This book reviews the state-of-the-art in stem-cell-based therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, and highlights advances in both animal models and clinical trials. It comprehensively discusses most neurodegenerative diseases, including such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Huntington’s diseases, amyotrophic sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and retinal degeneration, in which stem cells could potentially be used for therapy in the future. It also addresses the challenges and problems relating to the translation of stem-cell-based therapies into treatments. As such, the book will appeal to research scientists, physicians, graduate students, and medical professionals in the field of stem cells, neuroscience, neurology, neurorestoratology and major neurological disorders.

This comprehensive volume is the first to specifically target developing, adult and diseased neural stem cells. It explores recent advances in the understanding of neural stem cell biology along with strategies that use these cells to tackle neurological diseases and brain aging. Ten inclusive chapters discuss a wide range of topics including neurogenesis, neurodegeneration, demyelinating disease, mood regulation, and spinal cord regeneration, among others. Written by world-renowned scientists in the field, Neural Stem Cells in Development, Adulthood and Disease presents cutting-edge studies of interest to both established neurogenesis researchers and readers with general interests in nervous system science. It is an authoritative addition to the Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine series.

Current pharmacotherapies and surgical intervention provide limited benefit in the treatment of neural injuries or halting disease progression and has resulted in significant hope for the successes of stem cell research. The properties of stem cells render them appropriate for cell replacement therapy, endogenous repair, disease modeling as well as high-throughput drug screening and development. Such applications will aide in increasing our knowledge and developing treatments for neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s diseases as well as neural traumas including ischemic brain damage and traumatic brain injury. This Frontiers Research topic encouraged contributions from the general field of stem cell biology, with a particular emphasis on utilizing these cells to develop new therapies for neural repair. Related articles deal with issues such as: breakthroughs in stem cell proliferation/differentiation methodologies, using pluripotent and neural stem cells for transplantation and endogenous repair, the use of patient derived stem cells for disease modeling, using stem cells for drug discovery as well as the ethical issues related to the use of stem cells.

Active neuroscientists survey NSCs as potential tools for central nervous system and spinal cord repair by explaining their clinically significant fundamental properties, manipulations, and potential therapeutic paradigms. Their discussion of the fundamental biology of NSCs illustrates the signaling pathways that regulate stem cell division and differentiation, and defines the methods of NSC expansion and propagation, neuromorphogenesis, the factors determining cell fate both in vitro and in situ, and the induction of self-reparative processes within the brain. They also present strategies that may lead to fruitful clinical applications in the near future. These range from the replacement of degenerated, dysfunctional, or maldeveloped cells to the provision of factors that may protect, correct, recruit, promote self-repair, or mediate the connectivity of host cells.