Most people think of stroke as something that mainly affects the elderly, but it can also occur in newborn babies. These “perinatal strokes” happen when one of the major arteries to the brain becomes blocked, leading to a lack of blood supply – and hence oxygen – to certain brain areas. About one in 5,000 newborns have a stroke. It usually happens in the first few days after they are born.

Most of the babies will have problems later in life, with the severity of the problems depending on which brain areas were injured. These problems can include muscle tightness in the arms and legs (cerebral palsy), behaviour problems, learning difficulties and epilepsy. [1]

Figure 1. Stem Cell Therapy Offers a New Hope to Repair Brain Damage in New borns

Figure 1 shows Stem cells have the ability to turn into many different cells in the body, and they are little factories of several growth factors (proteins that stimulate the growth of specific tissues). The theory is that if we can get stem cells into the damaged part of a baby’s brain, the stem cells’ growth factors will stimulate the brain to repair itself.

Effective in animals Earlier studies in animals showed that injecting stem cells into the brains of newborn mice with stroke dramatically reduced the amount of brain damage and disability they suffered. The experiments showed that the treatment was safe and had no side-effects in the mice. These animal studies gave us hope that the treatment would work in newborn babies, too, preventing a lifetime of disability. [2]

Once the stem cells reached the damaged area, they secreted growth factors that triggered the repair systems in the mice’s brains. Within a few days, the stem cells had broken down and could no longer be traced in the brain. After several experiments with this method, we concluded that dripping stem cells into the nose is the safest and most efficient way to deliver them to the brain. [3]

A follow-up MRI scan of the brain made three months after the stroke showed less injury than expected, possibly because of the stem cells. At four months, the treated babies, performed well when the quality of their movements was tested. When the children are two years old, we will check their development again. [4]

References:

1. https://gadgets360.com/science/features/stem-cell-therapy-offers-a-new-hope-to-repair-brain-damage-in-newborns-2980715
2. https://theprint.in/world/stem-cell-therapy-offers-a-new-hope-to-repair-brain-damage-in-newborns/957740/
3. https://newzflash.in/stem-cell-therapy-offers-new-hope-for-repairing-brain-damage-in-newborns/
4. https://theconversation.com/stem-cell-therapy-offers-a-new-hope-to-repair-brain-damage-in-newborns-180722

Cite this article:

Thanusri swetha J (2022), Stem Cell Therapy Offers a New Hope to Repair Brain Damage in New borns, Anatechmaz, pp.138