Abstract
I was honored to be awarded the Casey Holter Essay Prize in 2013 by the Society for Research into Hydrocephalus and Spina Bifida. The purpose of the prize is to encourage original thinking in a way to improve the care of individuals with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. Having kept this purpose in mind, I have chosen the title: Neural stem cells, are they the hope of a better life for patients with fetal-onset hydrocephalus? The aim is to review and discuss some of the most recent and relevant findings regarding mechanisms leading to both hydrocephalus and abnormal neuro/gliogenesis. By looking at these outcome studies, it is hoped that we will recognize the potential use of neural stem cells in the treatment of hydrocephalus, and so prevent the disease or diminish/repair the associated brain damage.
Highlights
Fetal-onset hydrocephalus is one of the most challenging pediatric diseases
A question emerges: What have we learned about fetal-onset hydrocephalus from laboratories? This review aims to show and discuss some of the most relevant recent findings regarding the mechanisms leading to both hydrocephalus and abnormal neuro/gliogenesis
According to these studies and the revealed characteristics of neural stem cells (NSC) a hopeful light is emerging for the future, so healthy NSCs can be transplanted into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to replace radial glial cells, neural progenitors and neuroblasts that are lost during the hydrocephalic process
Summary
Several relatively recent publications have highlighted the importance and availability of appropriate secreted proteins (e.g. sonic hedgehog, insulin growth factor) and non-proteins (e.g. retinoic acid) distributed in the CSF, and their roles in development and maintenance of brain health [3,4,5,6,7]. Regenerative therapies are being used in the treatment of various neural disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis [35,36,37] (Table 1) According to these studies and the revealed characteristics of NSCs a hopeful light is emerging for the future, so healthy NSCs can be transplanted into CSF to replace radial glial cells, neural progenitors and neuroblasts that are lost during the hydrocephalic process. This regenerative therapy might well repair the VZ and/or reverse the
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