Adult neurogenesis in Alzheimer's disease and therapies

Abstract

Neural stem cells (NSCs) hold the potential to treat and cure a broad range of neurological diseases and injuries. The confirmation that neurogenesis occurs in the adult brain and NSCs reside in the adult central nervous system of mammals, opens new avenues and opportunities for our understanding of development and for cellular therapy. Adult NSCs may contribute to physio- and pathological processes of the nervous system and may be used to repair and restore the damaged or injured nerve pathways. Neurogenesis is enhanced in the brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Enhanced neurogenesis in AD may contribute to a regenerative attempt. Neurogenesis in the adult brain may also lead to the generation of aneuploid neuronal cells, particularly in the hippocampus. Hence, adult neurogenesis may be involved in processes both beneficial and detrimental in AD. Systemic administration may provide a strategy of choice for delivering adult-derived neural progenitor and stem cells to treat AD. Adult NSCs offer therefore a promising model for understanding the pathogenesis and pathology of AD and for cellular therapy for the treatment of AD. The elucidation of the involvement and contribution of adult neurogenesis and NSCs in AD will lead to the development of novel strategies for treating and curing the disease.