Neurodevelopmental disorders are marked by irregular development of the brain during the early development stages. This abnormal development of the brain leads to disorders that are marked by delayed milestones and lack of proper social functioning. Other developmental deficits such as lack of behavioural skill, impaired cognitive ability, weak muscles that result in motor dysfunction, and lack of social skills. Some of the most common neuromuscular disorders are cerebral palsy, autism, muscular dystrophies, stroke, spinal cord injury, and dementia.
Neurological disorders can be classified as:
- Congenital (present at birth)
- Acquired (developed after birth).
These disorders arise due to the genetic deficit, metabolic disorders, exposure to toxins, low birth weight, infection at birth, nutritional deficiencies and perinatal/postnatal complications that result in brain injury or spinal cord injury in children. The severity of symptoms evolves as the age progresses. They may be lifelong disabilities that may substantially stop the patient from enjoying an independent life. Hence, it is important to consult a physician at an early stage for timely treatment to bring improvement in their daily performance.
Improvement with therapy involving stem cells, as a therapeutic tool, helps to treat neurodevelopmental disorders. Prior to treating these disorders, monitoring tools like MRI and PET‐CT are used to scan and track the changes occurring in the brain. It also helps to confirm the level and severity of the disorder so that the neurosurgeons understand the condition and treat using the multidisciplinary approach of cell therapy and other rehabilitation and occupational therapies.
At the hospital, the doctors use mesenchymal stem cells extracted from the patient’s own bone marrow to accomplish their treatment. Local anaesthesia is applied to the area where the doctor decides to extract the marrow. An aspiration needle is injected into the hip bone to derive 80 to 120 ml of marrow (depending on the patient’s age). The process takes 15 to 20 minutes, post which the patient is allowed to rest.
After the marrow is collected, it is sent to the laboratory for being filtered and separated through a density gradient centrifugation procedure. Prior to being infused back into the patient, the filtered stem cells are diluted in CSF. Using an intrathecal injection, attached with an epidural needle, the healthy stem cells are infused in the motor muscle points (for patients with muscular disorder) or in the spinal area (for patients with neurological disorder).
The transplanted stem cells migrate towards the injured areas of the brain and anchor in the damaged tissue. They differentiate into the host cell type and carry out their repair and restoration process. Through their unique paracrine mechanisms, they halt further deterioration of the damaged cells.
Stem cells secrete neuroprotective growth factors including nerve growth factor (NGF) and glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) to activate differentiation and survival of neurons. As the brain regain its plasticity, the social and adaptive problems in individuals gradually get refined.
