Stem Cells and their Applications for the Treatment of Injuries to the Central Nervous System

The most common causes of brain and spinal cord injuries are accidents, falls, sports injuries, and trauma, which can lead to sensory and motor function deficits. Enormous efforts have been made to use stem cells to repair and prevent the development of complications caused by damage to the central nervous system. The main challenge in this field is to select the right stem cells to replace the lost nerve cells and prevent processes that disrupt the function of stem cells. In this review article, current information on various stem cells used in the treatment of damage to the nervous system, the possible mechanisms of their functions have been discussed. Furthermore, advantages and disadvantages of stem cell therapy are described based on the findings of basic and clinical studies. The high cost of stem cell therapy and unwanted side effects are major challenges in using stem cell therapy to repair the nervous system. Thus, more investigations are required to optimize cell therapy approaches in clinical settings.

The existence of different types of stem cells with diverse capabilities and solving existing problems can increase the hope of using of stem cell therapy to treat damage to the nervous system.