The use of stem cells in the treatment of schizophrenia
The use of stem cells in the treatment of schizophrenia
Yekta Ghafuri,1,*
1. Ahmadi Roushan Student Research Center, Baharestan 1 Education Office, Baharestan 1, Tehran, Iran
Introduction: Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that has symptoms including hallucinations (often auditory hallucinations), thought disorder, social withdrawal, decreased motivation, decreased concentration, anxiety, decreased expression of emotions, indifference, etc. The symptoms of this disease usually start in early adolescence, and in many cases, they never go away completely. Reduced hippocampal volume, lack of hippocampal interneurons, functional and biochemical abnormalities in that area, as well as damage in the prefrontal cortex have been identified in the MRI study of schizophrenia patients. In healthy people, the prefrontal cortex of the brain regulates the release of a neurotransmitter called dopamine, while in patients with schizophrenia, the process of dopamine regulation by the prefrontal cortex is disrupted. So far, no definitive treatment has been found for schizophrenia, and most of these patients suffer from its complications for the rest of their lives.
Methods: Stem cells are a group of cells that are not specialized and become specialized cells with specific actions and activities under specific environmental or laboratory conditions. Recently, researchers are studying to treat schizophrenia with the help of stem cells. Stem cells taken from the embryos of mice and injected into the hippocampus of mice with schizophrenia, improved the brain functions in these mice. Current methods for treating schizophrenia are drug treatments that are temporary at best, but stem cells injected into the hippocampus of schizophrenic mice have improved schizophrenia symptoms and improved brain functions.
Results: Stem cells injected into the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of schizophrenic mice became interneurons that regulate dopamine release and improved the function of the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in these animals. In these mice, complications such as memory impairment, social withdrawal, reduced motivation and reduced concentration caused by schizophrenia were improved. Although complete studies have not been conducted on the possible long-term side effects of stem cell injection, such as immune response to stem cells, infection, increased brain pressure, etc., the results obtained so far have raised hopes for the clinical treatment of schizophrenia with the help of stem cells.
Conclusion: The studies that have been conducted so far on the treatment of schizophrenia with the help of stem cells show that the stem cells of the bone marrow, fat tissue, and umbilical cord, when injected into the hippocampus of mice with schizophrenia, turned into interneurons that regulate the release of dopamine, and improved the effects caused by chizophrenic.